Lessons That Magic Can't Teach
by Last-Babylonian
Summary: Balthazar believes that magic is the solution to everything. But what about those lessons that magic can't help with? Dave realizes that even when he ditches out on his magic lessons, he's still learning life lessons with a fellow apprentice. Temporarily on hiatus due to lack of free time. See profile for full explanation!
1. Lesson 1 Laugh Because You Can

**Hello ****Sorcerer's Apprentice** **fans! This isn't my first fanfic in general, but it is my first for this category, so hopefully ya'll enjoy it! And if anyone notices that my OC starts to be "Mary Sue" like, please inform me so I can correct her immediately, thank you.**

It was shortly after Morgana's death, and Dave was currently grumbling about the ridiculousness of having magic lessons almost every day.

"I understand that I need to practice but it's not like there's a threat to worry about," Dave mumbled as he walked through the courtyard of the college. He was far too busy complaining about Balthazar's unfairness to notice that he was on a collision course with another student who was also absorbed in their own thoughts. With twin oofs, the students fell to the ground.

"Ugh I am so sorry, I was clearly being a dork and not looking," the student said as they moved to pick up the scattered papers.

"No it's my fault, I wasn't looking at anything but my feet," Dave said as he moved to assist in picking up the papers, stopping to look at some. "Did you sketch all of these?" he asked as he looked at a sketch of a lion crouching for the attack.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm an art student here, well of course I'm at this school," the student replied with a slight chuckle, "I'm Charley Wittleton by the way," the student said. Dave looked up to return the gesture of information, but stopped when he realized that he was talking to a girl.

"Um, I'm Dave Stutler," he replied as he numbly held out the stack of pictures he held towards her. Giggling at his dumbfounded look, she reached for her papers and sat back on her heels.

"Dave Stutler; aren't you the physics genius of this school?" Charley asked as she cocked her head to the side with a questioning look in her electric blue eyes.

"Well I am a physics major, but I'm not so sure on the genius part," he replied with a slight blush.

"Well you're known around this campus as such so it must be true. Thanks by the way, for helping me pick up my pictures. I really should get a portfolio for all of these," she replied as she started to stand up and dust off her dark wash jeans and her knee high black boots of the dirt from the campus side walk.

"I highly doubt it's all over the campus but I'll take your word for it. I tend to stay away from the gossip and rumor mills of this school," Dave said as he too stood up from his kneeling position and started to dust himself off.

"It's probably best that you do, but us art kids can't seem to shut up about other class subjects while we're working on our art projects," Charley said as she moved some of her dark brown bangs out of her face and giggled. "So…" she said and left the end of the sentence hanging for Dave to fill in.

"So you…want to hang out…or something?" Dave stuttered slightly, "Unless you have a class to get to or some other plans like meeting with someone," he rushed out as he saw her bite her lower lip in a thinking gesture.

"Hanging out or something sounds like a good plan, and no I don't have a class or else I would have totally rushed out of here, and I don't have someone to meet. But if you do then feel free to ditch me and we could maybe meet up some other time," she said as she smiled at the now blushing man.

"Great! Well uh, I mean, it's great that you want to hang out and all. And I don't have to meet up with my girlfriend till 3:00 so I'm good to go," Dave said as he turned to head towards the campus coffee shop, "Coffee alright?"

"Coffee's great, actually, I was heading that way so I can do some free sketching. So who are you with? I might know her," Charley said as she strolled up to stand next to Dave, "Shall we?" she said as she swept her free hand out in a sweeping motion towards the coffee shop.

"We shall. And I'm with Becky Barnes," Dave said as he dipped and turned foolishly while answering her inquiry, causing a small giggle to escape Charley's smiling mouth.

"You are definitely a nerd. And I'm not familiar with a Becky Barnes," Charley said as she walked next to Dave.

"Well yeah, but at least I'm entertaining. And it's all good that you don't know her," Dave replied with a small blush and a smile.

"Yeah, you are pretty funny, and you're also nice, or at least from the moments I've spent with you. And it seems as though we are holding two different conversations at the same time so I can see that you can multitask," she replied with a nod and a shrug.

"Well hopefully your opinion of me doesn't change while we're having coffee and conversation," Dave said with a smile, effectively commenting on both or her statements about his character. Together, the two walked calmly into the coffee shop.

"Hi; what can I get you two today?" the cashier asked with obvious forced cheer.

"I would like a small green tea please," Charley said as she reached for her wallet.

"Oh don't worry about this, I'll get it," Dave said as he reached to stop her hand, "I would like a small black coffee please," Dave said to the cashier.

"That'll be $5.05 please," said the cashier. After paying and retrieving their drinks, Dave and Charley sat at one to the higher tables the coffee shop offered for customers.

"You didn't have to pay for my drink, Dave, but thank you," Charley said as she popped the lid off her drink so she can add honey and let it cool faster.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, what's a few bucks between friends?" Dave said as he shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his coffee, burning the tip of his tongue in the process. "Yowch!" he exclaimed.

"Burn your tongue huh?" Charley asked with a large smile, showing off straight, white teeth.

"Ha ha, let's all laugh at my dumb move," Dave said with a sigh. "Great, I manage to make a fool of myself within 30 minutes of knowing this girl," he thought with another sigh.

"Hey now, no need to be upset about anything as simple as a burned tongue; learning to laugh at yourself is a key lesson to enjoying life, or at least that's what I hear," Charley said as she took a careful sip of her tea.

"What are the other lessons?" Dave asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Nuh uh, you don't get to know those till you need to. It defeats the purpose otherwise," Charley said as she shook her head gently. Looking at each other, they both let out a few laughs just because they could.

"So if I'm going to learn these lessons, I'm going to need someone around that knows them. So what do you say? Hang around with me for a little while longer?" Dave asked with a smile.

"Well I don't know," Charley said as she dramatically sighed, "Of course I want to hang out with you. You're a pretty cool guy…for a nerd," Charley said with a laugh.

"Well that sort of defeats the purpose of calling me cool," Dave said as he joined Charley in her laughter.


	2. Lesson 2 Focus on Happiness

**Hello Sorcerer's Apprentice fans! Here is the latest installment of my story. Hopefully ya'll enjoy it! And I just want to take a moment to tell ya'll about a story my friend's writing.**

"Blast it all," Charley thought with a mental sigh as her and Dave continued to chit chat at the coffee shop, not realizing that her mental sigh was an actual sigh.

"Now you're sighing. What's wrong?" Dave asked while trying to think of what might be wrong.

"Hmm? Oh nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about…an art project that I have to do!" Charley said with a shake of her head. "Focus you moron! You just met the guy! There is no need for you to go and get jealous over his girlfriend! Now put your mind back on happy thoughts and focus!" Charley berated herself mentally while smiling easily at Dave.

"An art project huh?" Dave said with a tone that indicated his disbelief.

"Yes an art project, Mr. Doubtful," she said with a sarcastic tone, "I have to do some sort of motivational piece that pertains to us in general," she explained casually.

"Sounds tricky. Hallelujah I never took an art class," Dave said while staring at his half full cup of coffee. "Oh come on Dave, you can think of something better to say than that," Dave thought to himself. However he was startled from his train of thought by the sound of a phone going off.

"Ugh, I swear my phone does not shut up for more than 10 minutes," Charley said as she checked the phone number before giving a heavy sigh, "Hold on, I have to answer this," she said to Dave while unlocking her phone and answering.

"Hello?...No I'm just hanging out with a friend…But you said that I don't have to during the week!...No those were your exact words…No…I am not going to spend all of my time practicing…I have my art class assignments and such...I will practice this weekend and not a day before…Whatever…Yeah bye," Charley said as sighed and ended the call.

"That sounded a bit hectic," Dave said, "Are you alright?" he asked as he reached over and rubbed her arm in a comforting gesture.

"Yeah I'm alright, just a little frustrated. But it'll go away once I get my thoughts on happier topics," She said as she flashed Dave a brilliant smile. Dave simply flashed a smile that was just as brilliant.

"It's really that simple for you?" Dave asked after a small length of silence.

"Is what really that simple?" Charley asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"Is it really that simple for you to get rid of your frustration?" Dave expanded. Getting an enthusiastic nod in return from the brunette, Dave bowed his head in defeat. "If only it was that simple for me. My way to get rid of frustration normally ends up with me getting hurt in some way or another," he said as he brought his head up to look at Charley again.

"Well that's not good. I'm pretty sure your friends would prefer that you find a different way to get rid of your frustration. And I think your girlfriend would like you to stay in one piece," Charley said as she poked Dave in the forehead. The only response she got for those comments was a deadpanned look. "Alright; if you won't do it for your friends and your girlfriend, then do it as a favor to yourself. One would hope that you don't like to hurt yourself," she said with a giggle at the end.

"No, I do not like to hurt myself. So how exactly do I change my way of letting out frustration?" Dave said as he gave Charley a pointed look.

"What's something you like to do outside of school?" she casually asked as she leaned back in her chair carefully.

"Um, I like to mess with my tesla coils," Dave said with confusion. Sighing, Charley placed her arms back on the table and leaned forward.

"That's school related," she said with a faked sigh and a smile.

"I don't really have anything outside of school that I do," Dave said as though it was nothing. However, judging by Charley's gaped mouth and surprised eyes, that wasn't nothing.

"Ok we need to get you a hobby that is just for you," Charley said with a tone that begged Dave to say otherwise. "Well I certainly have my mission set out for me," she thought to herself with slight concern.

"Really? Do I really need something outside of school to focus on? I mean, I'm trying to get my degree in physics so I need to focus on that. And I also have a crazy uncle that wants me to spend all of my free time with him doing whatever he comes up with!" Dave, realizing what he just blurted, started to mentally beat the crap out of himself. "Brilliance. Sheer freakin brilliance! Why don't you just tell her that you're a sorcerer and that you just recently killed Morgana while you're at it!" he yelled to himself mentally.

"Hey hey, calm down hon. There's no need to go flying off the handle," Charley said as she tried to not laugh at the panicking man in front of her. "Look, I'm not saying that you have to do it every day. I completely understand the whole busy life situation, believe me. But find something that you can start when you're frustrated then drop once you're better. Or you could always try to focus on the happy things going on around you," She said as she rubbed Dave's arms in comfort.

"I think I'll go with the thinking option. It sounds a whole lot easier," Dave said with an exhausted sigh.

"It is easier and it is a lot more personal. And it's another lesson in life!" Charley said as she smiled and threw her hands up in excitement. "You've just learned two lessons in one meeting. You're going to be a fast pupil," she said with a laugh and a 1000 watt smile.

"Well I pride myself on picking up on things quickly," Dave said. "Yeah. I pick up on everything but magic quickly," he thought sourly. And yet again, the dreaded sound of a cell phone going off interrupted their pleasant moment. "That's mine this time," he said as he looked at the name. "It's a text from Becky," he explained at the questioning look Charley gave him.

"Ah, the girlfriend beckons," Charley said with a smile. "Do you have to get going?" she asked, trying to hide her disappointment. "Get a hold of yourself Charley!" she yelled to herself.

"Yeah. Apparently her class got out early so she wants to go out earlier. Sorry for cutting this short, Charley. But here," Dave said as he handed Charley his cell phone, "Why don't you put your number in and we can get together again to hang out," he continued with a smile.

"Sure I can do that. And here, you do the same," Charley said as she reached for her cell phone in her black jacket pocket. Swapping phones, the two college students traded their numbers. "Well I see you around, Dave. Hope you and Becky have a good day together," Charley said as the two of them walked to door.

"See you around, Charley. And I'm sure we will. And good luck on your art project!" Dave said as the two of them went their separate ways.

"Thanks Dave!" Charley replied with a small wave. Smiling, Dave continued on his way to pick up Becky for their date. All the while, thinking of his time with Charley.


	3. Artistic Life

**Hey everyone! First off I want to apologize for how long it's taken for me to update this story. I just started college so I've been busy with all of that. Hallelujah I'm still at home though. But this chapter reveals more about Charley and her story. Thanks to all of those reading this story for the support!**

_It's pretty nice to just sit and work on my art. No training and no appointments to get to so I'm somewhat pleased. The appointment thing wouldn't bug me that much if it was Dave. He's like the coolest nerd I've ever met. No…wait…that didn't sound all that complimenting…but I can't think of anything else to describe him as. He's sweet, funny, and totally nerdy. I always did lean towards the nerds when it came to romantic interests._ Charley thought as she sketched the back curve of the dragon she was sketching for her class.

_Stop that train of thought right there, Charley. Dave's taken and you are not going to do anything to destroy that. _She growled to herself as she continued to sketch her graceful dragon. However she couldn't help releasing a heavy sigh as she continued to sketch and think about her friendship with Dave.

_Speaking of Dave, I haven't heard from him for a couple of days. Probably busy with his studies and relationship with Becky. That or his uncle is a time hog when it comes to Dave._ Charley pondered as she moved on from the back to the twisting tail of her dragon. She smiled as she watched the fragile fairie dragon take form from her imagination.

_This is why I draw. This is why I continue to "live in a fantasy" as my classmates tell me. Because when I'm drawing, it seems like anything is possible to create._ Charley smiled as she began to softly sketch the voluminous wings of her dragon. _Though it doesn't help when you're a Sorcerer's apprentice; living a fantasy seems to be the only way to describe my life since I met Kaleros. Neither a Morganian nor a Merlinian. He's just a guy that likes magic. And that's why I think the two of us work so well. Well minus our little squabbles about living a "normal" life._ Charley thought to herself as she tilted her head to look out the window next to her seat in a small coffee shop. The very same coffee shop that she and Dave went to the first time they met. Her pencil never ceasing its gentle strokes on the heavy calligraphy paper that Charley preferred to sketch on.

_My teacher is going to say something to me about my use of paper again. Probably something along the lines of "You should sketch on something else, Charley. Calligraphy paper is for calligraphy, not sketches." Sheesh. For an art teacher she certainly isn't that open minded. I mean, the look and feel of calligraphy paper is unmatched for fantasy sketches. I mean the different tones within the paper is enough to make me giddy. And now I'm rambling in my own head. _Charley giggled at how silly she sounded in her own mind. She was distracted from her delicate dragon by the sound of her cell phone going off.

"Please don't be who I think it is," she begged her phone as she checked the caller idea. Sighing in defeat at the name, she unlocked her phone and answered the call.

"What's up, Kaleros? I'm working on an art project at a coffee shop on campus; why? No it's not due soon…A fairy dragon on pale blue calligraphy paper…No I'm not going to leave my dragon un-inked…Why did you call exactly? Because I know you're not calling to talk to me about my art…What do you mean we have to meet a friend of yours? Is he one of those friends?" Charley stressed the last two words of her sentence. Waiting for her master to finish telling the shortened version of who they're to meet she continued to sketch in the small details in pencil with the intentions of inking her work later.

"So what you're telling me is that I get to meet a couple of your friends and one of them has a person like me. Well I suppose it's worth waiting to finish my dragon till later. Where are meeting so you can take me to the location?" Charley said as she grabbed a spare notebook she carried everywhere so she can write where she's to meet her master. "Alright I'll see you soon. Later Kaleros," Charley said as she hung up her cell. Packing her things with a small sigh Charley walked out of the coffee shop towards the meet up location.

_I'm so happy that it's not blazing hot outside. It would totally make wearing my new crop jacket suck. _Charley thought as she absently fingered the cuff of her emerald green jacket. _Though if Kaleros had anything to say about what I wear I'm pretty sure I would be wearing something straight from the renaissance era. Though they did have beautiful dresses that I'll never be caught wearing. _Charley thought with a slight grimace. She was not the type of girl that wore dresses and skirts and screamed at the sight of bugs or rodents. No, she was the girl that wore jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers and purposely frightened the girly girls with bugs and rodents. Not much had change except her fashion sense was more stylish. She was normally seen wearing skinny jeans that had boots going up to her knees. Her newest obsession was jackets with embellished tank tops and camisoles underneath. Then one of her art friends got her hooked on the last part of her typical outfit of feather jewelry.

_I'll consent that the feather jewelry isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I thought it would be itchy and would bug the crap out of me. That and I thought the jeans would bug me too. I guess that's why I let one of my friends take me shopping. Because she clearly knows more about fashion then I do._ Charley thought as she reached a small, thin hand up to finger the peacock feather earring hanging from her left ear all the while listening to the heels of her boots clack against the pavement.

"You need to pay more attention, Charlemagne. Anyone can sneak up on you while you're off in your thoughts," a deep masculine voice sounded behind her. Tilting her head backwards, she gave the man a cheeky smile and wink.

"I was paying attention. I knew you were behind me the whole time. Which is why I didn't react, Kaleros," Charley said as she slowed her pace so her master would catch up.

"Why are you not wearing your ring, Charlemagne?" Kaleros asked when he noticed that his apprentice was indeed not wearing her ring.

"How many times do I have to ask you to call me Charley? And I'm not wearing my ring because I just don't," Charley said as she casted a sideways glance towards her master.

"Charley is a boys' name. Charlemagne as least sounds feminine," Kaleros said as a way to explain his refusal to call her Charley.

"Old man and his beliefs," Charley muttered as she followed her master down some stone steps that led to an abandoned subway turnaround. "Um where exactly are we going?" Charley asked as she looked around her with slight hesitance. She also busied herself with fixing her brown and slightly wavy hair. She was just vain enough to know how not to make a first impression. Fixing her hair was also one of her nervous habits.

"I told you, we're meeting some of my friends and one of their apprentices. Now stop acting so nervous and put your ring on," Kaleros said as he briefly looked over his shoulder at his apprentice.

"Alright alright, sheesh. No need to get all grumpy," Charley said as she removed a necklace that was hidden under her shirt. As she unhooked the clasp her hand went to grab the ring that was dangling from the silver chain. Her ring was simple but beautiful; a piece of moonstone that had two crescent moons of celtic knot work on either side of it all on a silver band. **(For those of you who are wondering, it's the triple moon Goddess symbol)**

"Much better. Now be on your best behavior," Kaleros said as he ushered her through the door leading to the main turnaround section.

"Kaleros! It's so great to see you again!" a voice called up to them as the two walked down to the main landing.

"Balthazar! You don't look any different. And Veronica, my dear you look radiant. So where's your apprentice, Balthazar?" Kaleros asked when he noticed that it was just the two other sorcerers in the room.

"Oh he's on his way. I apparently interrupted a date but he understands that this is important," Balthazar said as he waved a dismissive hand. All the while, Charley began to look around the area and noticed all of the equipment that was clearly being taken care of.

_I wonder who this other apprentice might be?_ Charley thought as she heard footsteps coming down the metal stairs. Turning, she couldn't help the shocked look that crossed her face.

"Dave?" was all she could say when she saw her friend standing on the top part of the stairs.

**And that ladies and gentlemen is chapter 3. Hopefully ya'll enjoyed the chapter. And please review. Reviews help me get a better understanding of what you want to read when it comes to this story. Thank you all again!**


	4. Normalcy

**Wowsers I haven't updated this story in so long! I am deeply sorry for the delay in updating for this story. I've been super busy with college stuff. But I am now dedicating at least an hour every night to writing so hopefully that will improve my update rate. Hope ya'll enjoy this latest apprentice mishap. Read and review please!**

"Charley?" Dave said in shock once he realized who was in his lab/training area. He quickly rushed down the rest of the stairs, in the process tripping himself and almost crashing into Charley who was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. "Sorry," he mumbled as Charley giggled while helping him stand up.

"No prob. But I have to say that this is the biggest shocker I've had since I moved to New York for college," Charley said as she brushed Dave's shoulder off.

"You two know each other?" Kaleros asked with obvious confusion.

"Yeah pretty much. We met by literally bumping into each other. Then we chatted at the coffee shop on campus," Charley said as she hugged Dave hello.

"Well that takes care of half of the introductions. Dave, this is Kaleros, an old friend of mine and Veronica's. Kaleros, this is my apprentice, the Prime Merlinian, Dave Stutler," Balthazar said with pride.

"So you're the Prime Merlinian? I must say, I was expecting…more," Kaleros said with a calculating gaze.

"Hold the phone! You mean to tell me that I've been friends with the Prime Merlinian this entire time? Dave, you're cool factor just went up by like, 2,000 points," Charley said with astonishment. Dave blushed and muttered what sounded like "it was no big deal really," in response to Charley's praise.

"You know, Balthazar, this could make training much simpler," Kaleros said with an evil glint in his eyes. Catching Kaleros's drift, Balthazar smiled a smile that made the hairs on Charley's and Dave's necks.

"You know I think you're right. We could simply train them at the same time, that way they learn to work together," Balthazar said as folded his hands in front of him.

"Boys, I think training plans can wait for another time. Why don't we catch up? I'm sure you both have lots of stories to tell one another," Veronica said in her soft tone as she got between the apprentices and their masters. Leading the two men away to a separate part of the turnaround, Veronica turned her head long enough to flash a wink at Dave, who smiled in gratitude.

"Veronica just gave us a break from the old geezers," Dave said as he turned to face Charley who was looking at the tesla coils.

"And here I thought I was the only one who called their master an old geezer," Charley said with a light laugh that bounced off of the coils. "So what are these?" Charley asked after she depleted her idea bank for what they could have been.

"Oh um, those are Tesla Coils. I was using them to generate plasma," Dave replied as he walked up to stand next to Charley who was lightly running her hand on the smooth metal of the coil.

"So you really are the Physics Wizard of NYU. That has to be the coolest title of the school. But I think Prime Merlinian is still cooler," Charley said as she turned to face Dave.

"It really wasn't all that much. I just made tesla coils out of lamp posts and wires and then plasma balled her form into oblivion. So yeah it was just me being a geek…as always," Dave said as he recapped what happened that night.

"Dave, you seriously need to give yourself more credit," Charley said as she flicked Dave's nose lightly in a mock scold.

"This coming from an amazing artist," Dave said as he remembered the pictures he helped pick up.

"I'm not that good…yet," Charley said with a playful wink.

"Balthazar you're crazy! But to see his face when you told him that would have been priceless!" Kaleros shouted from the other end of the turnaround, startling the two apprentices who were off in their own little world.

"Sheesh they're loud," Charley complained as she placed a finger in her ear to rub the ringing sound out.

"Yeah they are. And I thought old people were supposed to be quiet," Dave muttered as he cringed away from the yelling on the master's side.

"Oh well. What can we do about them? They're our masters," Charley said with a shrug and a whimsical smile. "I'll bet you I hear my master yell at me more than Balthazar yells at you," Charley said with suppressed laughter.

"Oh please. Balthazar yells at me when I don't get a spell right the first time," Dave said as he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted slightly.

"Mine yells at me because I skip practices," Charley said as she busied herself with checking her nails.

"Wait, you skip practices? Why?" Dave asked in astonishment. "I mean this kind of thing has to be amazing for you since you draw fantasy," Dave continued as a way to explain his shock.

"I do love fantasy. But I also like the fact that I can be a normal college student and keep my fantasy. I don't think magic is everything, like Kaleros does. That man would use magic to do even the simplest of tasks. I can't live my life dependent on magic like he is," Charley said as she watched the toe of her boot draw miscellaneous shapes on the ground.

"Yeah, I can definitely see where you're coming from. Balthazar keeps trying to get me to practice every day even when I'm busy with homework. It's like he doesn't want me to be normal. That's why Veronica has been helping me. She wants to be normal as well," Dave said as he looked over to Veronica who was laughing behind her hand at something Balthazar said.

"Looks like we're in the same boat. Maybe we can make Veronica an ally in our fight for normalcy," Charley said as she started to ponder things to do in order to avoid training.

"It wouldn't take much arm twisting to get Veronica on our side," Dave said as he caught on to what Charley was implying. Smiling at each other with contentment, they continued to talk about their college lives and how things have been since they last saw each other.

"Hey um, Dave? Why is Veronica looking at us like that?" Charley asked when she noticed that Veronica was giving them a look that she couldn't decipher.

"Um, I think she's trying to tell us to run for it," Dave said as he made a gesture of them running to the stairs and getting a nod in confirmation from their co-conspirator. "Yep she wants us to run for it," Dave said as he grabbed Charley's hand and motioned that she be quiet. Smiling and holding back her laughter, Charley let Dave lead her out of the turnaround and out onto the streets of New York.


	5. Lesson 3 Dance Like No one is Watching

**Hey readers! So happy that things seem to be going somewhat smoother than they have been update wise. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long for this update! Please enjoy and review. Reviews help me make sure that ya'll get what you want to read.**

Lesson #3: Dance like no one is watching

"I can't believe we were able to sneak past them," Charley laughed as her and Dave walked down the street towards Central Park.

"Yeah I thought for sure we'd be caught. Especially since they're sorcerers," Dave said as he calmed his own laughter enough to talk.

"I guess they were far too distracted by reliving past glory days to pay attention to a couple of apprentices," Charley said as she raised her arms above her head and sighed when something in her back popped back into place. "So now that we're free from those old geezers, what do you want to do when we get to Central Park?" Charley asked as she and Dave walked through the busy sidewalk.

"I'm not too sure. What would you like to do?" Dave asked as he put his hands in his hoodie pockets. He glanced over to Charley when she didn't immediately reply and grew nervous at her smirk. "Um, Charley?" he asked cautiously.

"Have you ever watched street performances?" Charley asked as she turned her electric blue eyes on Dave.

"Um not really," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh you're seriously missing out then," Charley said as she grabbed his other hand and started to drag him along faster. "I love watching street performers. I think they're amazing to willingly put themselves out there for everyone to watch them and critique them," Charley said with excitement. Dave simply smiled at how excited Charley was getting just talking about the street performers and what they do.

"Well there's no need to drag me, I'm coming along quite willingly," Dave said as he gently pulled on his captured hand to get Charley to slow down. Charley turned to give Dave a confused face before recognition dawned on her and she let go of Dave's hand.

"Sorry, sometimes I get really excited about stuff," she mumbled as she turned her head away to try and hide her blush. She was startled by the gentle laughing from Dave. "What?" she asked.

"Oh nothing, I just never pictured you getting embarrassed about being excited about something," Dave explained as he walked past her to enter the park. "You coming?" he called back to the stunned girl at the threshold. Shaking her head, Charley cleared her thoughts and dashed after Dave.

Meanwhile back in the turnaround/ training area, Balthazar and Kaleros started to look around in confusion.

"Where did our apprentices go?" Kaleros asked the obvious question.

"Perhaps they stepped out for some fresh air and to let you and Balthazar catch up today," Veronica said as though she was oblivious to their leaving as well. _They're avoiding the possibility of a surprise lesson from the two of you._ She thought to herself with a small smile.

"Well they should have told us that they were leaving," Balthazar said in a huff.

"And would you have let them go?" Veronica asked with a slight narrowing of her eyes.

"Perhaps. They both need training," Kaleros said as though it was the obvious answer. Veronica simply rolled her eyes at both men and went back to her reading.

"You weren't kidding about these guys," Dave said as he applauded a small band of musicians that finished an original piece.

"I told you they're amazing," Charley said with a bright smile that caused Dave to blush slightly.

"Well thank you, young lady," one of the musicians said as she and Dave passed by and she put a dollar in the hat that was at his feet.

"No thank you for such beautiful music," Charley said over her shoulder as she and Dave kept walking along the path that wound its way through the vast park. Dave bumped into her side lightly and sped up his pace. Charley gave him a confused look that made Dave chuckle. "What was that for?" she asked once she caught up with Dave.

"Don't know, just felt like doing it that's all," Dave said, hoping to get away with this one little lie.

"You suck at lying. But I'm sure you've been told this before," Charley said while poking Dave in the side lightly.

"Yeah apparently I've never been able to lie," Dave said, "I bumped into you because I thought it was…cute…that you thanked him for playing," Dave said as his subtle blush darkened slightly.

"Well they should be thanked in my opinion," Charley said with a small pout.

"I'm not disagreeing with you I swear," Dave said when he saw her pout, "I'm just saying that I thought it was cute," he said while still blushing.

"Well thank you," Charley said with a dramatic wink that made both of them laugh. They kept walking around and joking with one another about any topic they could think of.

"I never knew simply walking in the park could be this much fun," Dave said as he paid for his ice cream cone that he and Charley stopped at for a midday snack. He offered to pay for Charley's but she smiled and said that it's all good.

"I love walking around and just looking at everything. It helps me get ideas for future art projects and such," Charley said as she happily licked her mint chocolate chip ice cream cone.

"It must be hard to come up with ideas for art. Especially when you're majoring in it," Dave said before he licked his chocolate ice cream cone. "I know I would have problems coming up with new ideas. But then again I'm…artistically challenged," Dave said after a moment of deliberation.

"No one is 'artistically challenged' Dave. All you need is some proper guidance and a bit of practice," Charley said after she giggled at his description of his artistic abilities.

"That's what you think," Dave said as they stopped to listen to another group of musicians that were playing an upbeat song. Dave looked out of the corner of his eye and saw that Charley was swaying her hips and moving her hands slightly.

"Man this music has a serious beat to dance to," Charley said before she handed her ice cream cone to Dave. He took it with an obviously confused face. Charley simply winked and walked a bit further ahead and started to dance a bit more enthusiastically.

"Charley! Wha…what are you doing?" Dave asked in slight horror as more people gathered around to listen and watch.

"I'm dancing, Dave. What else are you supposed to do when there's music playing?" Charley said with a tone that indicated a duh moment. She added a bright smile and continued to dance as though nothing was going on around her. Dave watched in mild embarrassment as his friend continued to draw more and more people to the area.

"Charley, I think you should stop now," Dave said as he heard some people comment on her dancing abilities.

"You're such a bummer, Dave. Come join me!" Charley said with another bright smile. Her smile quickly disappeared when Dave simply shook his head no and stood his ground. But her smile returned when a little girl broke through the crowd and started to dance with her. Once the song ended everyone clapped and cheered and Charley and the young girl took a dramatic bow that made a few laugh. "Thank you for joining me, sweetie," Charley said as the young girl bounded back to her mother.

"You could have seriously embarrassed yourself," Dave said once she walked up beside him.

"Dave, Dave, Dave, when will you learn that having fun over rides all the possible embarrassment that it brings?" Charley said with a shake of her head. "I know I could have made a fool of myself, but I had fun while doing so. That's all that matters really," Charley said as she took her ice cream cone back. "I think this is a good time for another life lesson," Charley said after a moment of pondering.

"And what lesson would that be?" Dave asked with a smile. He secretly enjoyed Charley's little life lessons that she tried to stick to. He thought it made her an interesting person.

"Lesson number 3, dance like no one is watching you. And that just doesn't apply to dancing in general. It essentially means that you have to do things for yourself rather than worry about what others will think," Charley said with a gentle smile that made her blue eyes spark with amusement.

"I guess that the next time you have the urge to dance and I'm with you, I'll join you," Dave muttered as he thought about his life and how he was trying to stay out of people's attention.

"I'll hold you to that. Now let's get back to those old geezers," Charley said with a wink as she turned down the path that would lead them out of the park and back to their awaiting masters.


	6. Lesson 4 Never be Afraid to ask for Help

**OMG I didn't realize how bad I've become about updating. Please forgive my idiocy for not paying attention. But as I'm sure ya'll know, I am a college freshman taking sophomore classes, so I've been pretty busy. And with Biology and Chemistry in the same semester, I'm going a little nutso with studying. But I promise to become a lot better about updating. So if it becomes too long of a gap, please message me and I will find time to update. Thank you all so much for your patience! And remember, reviews help me write what you want to read!**

Lesson #4: Never be Afraid to ask for Help

"Becky, I promise you, Charley is just a friend. Who also happens to be an apprentice," Dave said in to his phone as he walked down to the Art Building of NYU. "No, tonight is just going to be you and me, I swear. Yeah, I'm heading to the Art Building to find Charley and ask her if she can cover for me with Balthazar and Kaleros. I love you too, bye," Dave hung up his phone and let out a sigh and rubbed a hand through his hair in exhaustion.

"Well you're a new sight in the art gallery," A random student said as he walked by Dave. "Looking for someone?" the student asked.

"Huh oh um, I'm looking for Charley?" Dave asked with uncertainty. The student's eyes lit up in recognition and motioned for Dave to follow him.

"Have you seen some of her work?" the student asked as he led Dave down hallways that were covered in art work and had sculptures on podiums under glass.

"Um, I've only seen her work a couple of times. It's mostly when she's working on pieces when we hang out that I see her art," Dave explained as he looked at some of the pieces they passed.

"She's a favorite with the teachers and most of the students. But she does have her enemies of course. And one of them struck today," the student explained as he lead the way to a sculpting class.

"What do you mean?" Dave asked as he watched the student open a door.

"What he means is that some jerk of a classmate bumped my work station when I wasn't there and caused my sculpture to have a fight with the floor. Floor won obviously or else I wouldn't be here working on creating a new one," Charley said from the only lit station in the room. "The prof understood and has left me to my own devices since I can work a kiln without difficulties," she continued as she leaned back from her piece to wipe her forehead.

"Wow, you look pretty wiped out," Dave said, "Thanks for showing me where she is," Dave said to the fellow student who was turning back to the door.

"No prob. Good luck Charley! And don't forget to sleep!" the student said as he walked out. Charley merely waved a hand in recognition before she leaned her elbows back on the table and took her carving tool to the clay once again.

"Soo…" Dave said as he walked slowly over to Charley and her half-done sculpture, "what are you sculpting for the second time?" Dave asked, hoping he didn't hit a nerve that would send Charley into a fit of rage. Charley's carving tool stopped in mid stroke before it completed the stroke and was set aside.

"I am sculpting one of my sketches as requested by my professor," Charley sighed while wiping her hands off on a rag. "And of course, it can't be one of my simpler sketches that he wants to turn 3-D," she said as she grabbed her opened sketch book and brought it around to show Dave.

"Wow. I'm not even sure what else I can say about it," Dave said as his eyes widened in awe. The image showed a mermaid that was swimming up and around a column. It was a simple black and white sketch, but the level of detail was so precise that the individual scales on her tale and the small line on the mermaids back were distinct and detailed. The tail fin was more feathered at the end rather than smooth and the small fins on her arms were similar.

"Thanks hon. I had fun sketching it and working on the details, but sculpting is a whole other story," Charley giggled as she picked up another carving tool. "I'm just happy that I was allowed an extension on this project or else I'd be screwed," she said with a small smile.

"You never cease to amaze with your never ending enthusiasm," Dave commented as he watched Charley carve the image out of the mass of clay that was on her table.

"Yeah well, prepare to be amazed. Because I am starting to wonder if I'm going to get all the details within the time limit," she replied without ceasing her movements with the carving tool.

"Well how long do you have?" Dave asked in curiosity.

"I have till the end of class on Friday to finish everything on it. And it's Wednesday already," Charley said while adverting her eyes momentarily to look at Dave before she brought them back to her work-in-progress.

"What do you have left to do other than finish carving?" he asked in utter shock at how tired she sounded and looked.

"I have to fire this so it can harden and turn white, then I have to paint it and then fire it again. And with 10 other students in this class, and only one kiln, it's a bit of a race to see who gets there first and in one piece," Charley explained as her hand dropped a tool and picked up a new tool without missing a beat.

"Wow, sounds like you're super swamped with stuff to do," Dave said as he wandered around and looked at the other sculptures that people worked on. "You know I can see why someone would knock your work over. Some of these are just weird," Dave said loudly as he looked closer at what he assumed was supposed to be a fairy of sorts.

"Yeah, the table with what looks like an angel is the sculpture of the girl who knocked mine over," Charley explained as she took a breather and watched Dave walk around.

"An angel? I thought it was some weird bird thingy," Dave said as he looked at it and finally saw what he thought was a human body amongst the carving marks.

"Yeah, there is some serious carving issues with that thing she calls an angel. It looks more like an angel crash landed and not in a good way," Charley joked as she returned to her sculpture. "So hey, what did you need?" she asked as she leaned back to make sure her sculpture was proportionate and on the right track.

"What?" Dave asked in utter brilliance.

"Well obviously you were hunting for me if you came to the Art Building. So what can I do for you?" Charley asked again as she went back to carving.

"Oh I was hoping you could cover for me with Balthazar and Kaleros tonight. Becky wants me to join her at this coffee shop that's having a poetry night," Dave said while running a hand through his hair and slouched his shoulders slightly. "But it's ok I can see that you're totally busy so I'll just tell Becky that I need to go to training," Dave said with a minor sigh and a quick shake of his head. Charley looked up and watched Dave have a mental argument over how he should break it to Becky that he can't go. She made a snap decision and wiped her hands off.

"I'll cover for you," Charley said as she walked over to her bag that was on the far side of the classroom.

"Wha?" Dave asked as he watched Charley click and clack to her bag.

"I said, I'll cover for you, hon. Now shush so I can talk to Kaleros. And when I signal you, you need to start asking questions about the kiln. Things like 'what temperature is this thing supposed to be at' and such," Charley said as she grabbed her phone and dialed Kaleros' number. "Hey it's me…yeah some girl knocked over my sculpture and I have to re-carve it…yeah sorry I know we were supposed to train tonight with Dave and Balthazar but Dave has offered to help me make sure everything is taken care of," she signaled Dave to start talking. He asked a couple questions and Charley made sure that he was heard on the phone. "I know, I'm sorry, but I have to get this done. It needs to be fired and painted and fired again before Friday. We can make training up don't worry. Alright, have fun with Balthazar and Veronica. Bye," Charley said before she hung up the phone and sighed in relief.

"Thanks for doing that for me, Charley," Dave said as he hugged her in gratitude.

"No prob hon. Life lesson, never be afraid to ask for help," Charley said, "Now go have fun with Becky and the random poetry that's typically depressing," she said as she started to push Dave towards the door.

"So I get to see some of your work, watch you create it, and then learn another lesson in one afternoon. Boy this was eventful," Dave said with a small chuckle as he leaned in the doorway. "Thanks again for covering for me," he said as he hugged her again and walked down the hall to leave the building.

"No problem at all, hon. Now I don't have any distractions so I can complete my work...hopefully," Charley said as she rolled her eyes to the ceiling and sent a quick prayer for help in completing her work. "Never be afraid to ask for help, even if it is from an unseen being," she said with a smile. She sat herself at her station and continued to work.


	7. Opposites AttractMaybe?

**Hello fellow Sorcerer's Apprentice fans! Sorry for the delay in updating as usual. I know I keep saying I'll get better but I don't seem to be keeping good on that promise. But I am working on my updating time! So here is the latest installment of this story. Please read and review because reviews guarantee that I'm writing what you want to read!**

**(A.N. = **_**bold and italicized are thoughts**_**)**

"Dave you made it!" Becky shouted in joy as she jumped up from her seat and ran to her boyfriend. Dave simply smiled and hugged her when she finally reached him.

"Yeah Charley covered for me. I think we should do something for her to show her thanks," Dave said as he walked through the mass of people with Becky so they can reach their seats.

"Maybe," was all Becky said to that idea. "So are you ready to hear some poetry from some fellow classmates?" Becky asked with a bright smile.

"Oh um, yeah sure," Dave mumbled as he folded his arms on the table and looked towards the small stage that the coffee shop set up. "I just hope I don't feel depressed after all of this," He said, trying to lighten the mood that settled over him and Becky.

"Oh I doubt you'll be depressed after listening to some poetry. Besides, you should be happy that we can spend some time together. What with school and your _uncle_, we hardly ever get to spend time together," Becky said as she looped one of her arms through one of Dave's and leaned her head against his shoulder with a sigh.

"Yeah you're right. Besides, it's not like I'm ditching all of my lessons with my _uncle_. Just a couple to have some fun," Dave said as he turned towards Becky with a small smile.

"Exactly, you need to have some 'you' time to do whatever you want. Like spend time with the girl you've been waiting 10 years for," Becky said with a slight teasing tone. Dave merely nodded in agreement, though his mind was not on the conversation completely.

"I'm going to get something to drink," Dave said as he stood up and walked towards the counter. He heaved a sigh as he looked at the possible drink selections. "Can I just have a small green tea please?" Dave asked the girl behind the counter who smiled and went to make his tea. _**I might as well try it since Charley always looks so much calmer after drinking it.**_

"Here you go. That will be three dollars please," the cashier said as she handed Dave his tea. Dave handed over three dollars and thanked the young girl before he carefully picked his way back to where Becky was sitting. Becky turned to Dave as he sat down and wrinkled her nose when the smell of Dave's tea hit her nose.

"Since when do you drink tea?" Becky asked with a confused tone.

"Oh, I just figured I'd try it. Charley is always drinking it so I figured might as well see if it's any good," Dave said with a shrug before he blew gently on his tea. He took a careful sip and simply smiled at the refreshing taste that hit his tongue. "And now I can see why she's always drinking it. This is actually really good. Wanna try?" Dave said before he held his cup out a bit for Becky.

"No thank you, I'm not a big tea drinker," Becky said with a slight edge.

"Is everything alright?" Dave asked cautiously. Becky simply nodded her head without turning to look at Dave.

"Everything's fine," Becky said tightly. Dave opened his mouth to retort but Becky held her hand up, "Shush, they're starting," was all she said before she lowered her hand and kept looking towards the small stage. Dave sighed quietly before following her example.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to tonight's live poetry reading. Now this is open to anyone who is willing to pour their hearts out tonight. And let's keep this evening polite, so please refrain from hurtful remarks or gestures, and please applaud everyone brave enough to read tonight. There is a sign-up sheet and we will be using that to call people up. So the first person up is…Mackenzie Stonewall!" the coffee shop owner said. A petite wisp of a woman walked up to the stage with a small smile. She introduced the title of her poem, but Dave's mind was not on the poetry.

_**I wonder if Charley will be able to finish her sculpture tonight. I hope so. I also hope that the girl who knocked her statue off the table will get in trouble. But she probably won't.**_ Dave thought as the young girl finished her poem to the applause of everyone in the coffee shop. Dave simply ran on auto pilot and clapped with everyone.

"I thought her poem was just so cute. Didn't you think so too, Dave?" Becky asked as she turned to him with a smile.

"Huh? Oh yeah it was pretty…cute," Dave said with an unnoticeable grimace._** I really should start paying attention**_. With a mental shake of the head, Dave squared his shoulders and tried his hardest to listen to the next poet who was talking about the pain that only he knows. _**Charley was right; there are a lot of depressing poems at things like this. No! Stop thinking about other things and get your head back on to right now!**_ Dave's mental berating caused him to not notice the slight glare that Becky was sending him until it was too late.

"You know Dave, if you didn't want to come here with me you didn't have to," Becky said with a cold tone.

"What? Of course I want to be here with you. How can you say something like that?" Dave asked in confusion.

"Oh please, you're like a million miles away from here. You keep zoning out on me and I don't know what you're thinking about," Becky said as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms in anger.

"Look Becky, I'm sorry that I'm zoning out. But poetry isn't really something I'm interested in. But I came because I wanted to spend some time with you because we hardly ever get to be together," Dave said with the patience of a saint as Becky just kept glaring.

"I've done things that I'm not interested in when we're together, Dave," Becky said in a clipped tone.

"Like what? I went to see that chick flick with you last week. I went to a bunch of malls with you. And I even had coffee with you and your friends from the radio station. And do I have to remind you that one of them was flirting with you the entire time and you just smiled about it?" Dave said evenly, though you could tell he was getting frustrated if you looked in his eyes.

"Oh yeah! I umm…I watched as you fiddled with your stupid tesla coils!" Becky floundered while uncrossing her arms in a huff.

"We weren't even dating then. I was just helping you with physics," Dave said with slight exasperation creeping into his voice. "look, clearly we're not going to settle this tonight, so I'm just going to go. Call me when you feel like talking this through without fighting," and with that said, Dave stood up with his tea and walked through the crowd. He paused for a moment and turned to the cashier. "Can I get another small green tea please? I owe a friend one," Dave said as the cashier simply nodded and smiled. Dave put the three dollars on the counter and took the tea when the cashier handed it to him. "Thanks," he said with a small nod of gratitude.

"Don't mention it," the young girl said before she waved him off. Dave exited the small coffee shop and headed back towards NYU campus. His thoughts rampaged through his head, trying to give the poor physicist a pounding headache. He made it quickly to the Art Building and walked right in. He took his time to look at some of the artwork that students created, noticing quite a few of them were Charley's works. The one that caught his eye in particular was a fairy dragon on blue paper. The wing design looked like a cross between a dragonfly's and a butterfly's wings, the shape more reminiscent of the dragonfly's while the pattern on the inside was that of a butterfly's. The dragon was done in black and white with hints of sliver in the wings and the delicate claws as well as the eye. The small dragon was curled in an "S" like fashion, showing off its tender underbelly with the head turned so the person could see its profile. Dave smiled at the title, "Little Doesn't Mean a Thing". Still smiling, Dave made his way to the art room that he left Charley in. He sighed in relief when he saw that there was a still a light on in the classroom. He gently opened the door after balancing the two cups of tea.

"Dave?" Charley asked when she looked up and saw Dave in the door way. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Becky listening to poetry," Charley said as she put one of her carving tools down.

"We sort of got into a fight and I didn't want to make a scene or something. So I just told her to call me when she felt like talking instead of fighting and then I left. Here, I bought you a green tea," Dave said as he walked over and put the other tea down on the work area.

"Oh that sucks hon. I hope things work out for you," Charley said as she reached over and grabbed the tea. She took a grateful sip and sighed in relief. "That hits the spot. Thank you by the way. You didn't have to get me anything," Charley said before she took a longer drink of the soothing liquid.

"I know, but I do owe you for covering for me," Dave said as he walked behind Charley to look at her sculpture. "Wow you got a lot done while I was gone," Dave said as he looked at the almost completed sculpture.

"Mm hmm, I just have to remove the last huge chunk of clay and work on a few more details," Charley said with a nod. She picked up a larger carving tool and took out a large chunk of clay from one of the bottom corners before she picked a smaller detailing tool and began to work on the last bit of carving. "So what was the fight about?" Charley asked with genuine curiosity.

"I was spacing out at the coffee shop and she started saying that she's done things she isn't interested in when I told her I wasn't into poetry. It just escalated from there," Dave said with a sigh as he pulled up a stool and leaned his head on his folded arms. Charley looked away from her sculpture with a worried look.

"Oh sweetie, that really does suck. If Becky is smart, she'll call immediately and you two can work things out," Charley said as she wiped her hands free of clay. "Now cheer up mister, being depressed is a waste of time," she said as she poked Dave in the side, causing him to jerk up and away.

"Another life lesson?" Dave asked as he followed Charley, who was caring her completed sculpture to the kiln.

"Nope, that's just the cold hard truth. Being depressed is the biggest waste of time there is," Charley said with a smile as she turned to the control settings on the kiln. "And in about 10 minutes, I shall have a complete sculpture that I can paint tomorrow," Charley said with a relieved sigh and a thousand watt smile. Dave returned her smile just as enthusiastically.

_**She certainly has a great smile.**_ And with that thought Dave hugged Charley. Charley was momentarily confused, but hugged back just the same.

**There you have it everyone! Hopefully ya'll enjoyed it!**


	8. Author's Note: What do you want?

**Hey readers! I know I haven't updated in a while and I apologize for that. However, I've run into a snag. I'm not sure whether or not I should make this a Dave/Charley romance or if I should make it a Dave/Charley friendship Dave/Becky romance. So I need ya'll, to tell me what you want to read. I'll be taking opinions via reviews and private messages for a few days. And depending on your decisions, I'll write the next chapter. So make sure you send me your opinions! Thanks everyone!**


	9. Why Don't We bet on it?

**Thank you all for sending me your opinions on the couple for this story. So by a very one-sided vote, this story is now officially a Dave/Charley romance story! I hope ya'll enjoy this installment. And please don't forget to review, because reviews make sure you get what you want to read. Enjoy!**

Chapter 8: Why Don't We bet on it?

"Good work, Dave. Your casting is beginning to show great improvement," Balthazar praised his apprentice as he watched Dave practice with Charley. "I must say, our apprentices are doing quite well together," Balthazar said to Kaleros who was watching as well.

"Yes, they are. But I do wish they'd stop skipping practices," Kaleros said with a heavy sigh, "I unfortunately have to blame my apprentice for ruining Dave's attendance. She enjoys skipping out on practices and annoying me," Kaleros said with a slight growl.

"Oh no, Dave was ditching as often as he could. I just think Charley is better at coming up with excuses," Balthazar said with a shrug. "But they're still improving so it doesn't matter if they miss a couple practices here or there. But that doesn't mean they should get off easy," Balthazar said with a serious tone.

"Oh will you two knock it off," Veronica's accented voice floated over to the two masters. "They're just children, they need to have fun as well," she continued as she walked over and joined them in watching Dave and Charley throw spell after spell at one another. The two masters simply sighed, knowing that this was one of Veronica's "normal life" arguments. "Don't you dare sigh at me gentlemen," she said with a slightly harsh tone.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Charley asked as she countered Dave's fireball. She threw her own fire ball, watching with a slight smile as Dave jumped out of the way.

"I have no idea," Dave said as he performed one of the newest water spells they learned. The water formed into the shape of a cobra. It swayed gently before striking out at Charley's unprotected ankle, managing to land a solid blow. Charley let out a hiss of pain before she fell to the ground to investigate the damage done. "Charley! Oh my God I didn't mean to actually hit you," Dave rambled as he cancelled the spell and rushed over to his fallen friend.

"Yeah you did, that's the whole point of practice you goof," Charley said with a slight laugh as she carefully peeled her boot off foot. "Well the boot took the brunt of the attack," she said as she examined the teeth mark in the boot's pleather.

"Yeah but not enough, you're still bleeding," Dave said as he noticed the red stains that were growing on Charley's sock clad foot. Charley looked over and winced at the sight.

"Well at least it wasn't a real cobra. Then I'd be rushing to the hospital instead because of poison," Charley tried to joke it off as she watched Dave's face grow paler as she removed her sock. "Oh that doesn't look nice at all," she muttered as she watched the four teeth marks bleed sluggishly. "Hey Kaleros! Aren't you supposed to be over here helping me?" Charley shouted to the stunned masters on the side lines. That seemed to snap them out as all three of them moved rapidly to where she was sitting.

"That was a wonderful execution of the water snake spell, Dave," Balthazar said as he leaned over Dave's shoulder, planting his hands solidly on Dave's shoulders.

"Wonderful or not, Charley's still bleeding," Dave said worriedly as he watched Veronica take Charley's injured ankle and place it gently on her lap.

"Don't worry, Veronica will fix it up in no time," Kaleros said, "Merlin knows how many times she's fixed me and Balthazar up plenty of times," he said with a slight chuckle as he leaned over his apprentice's head. "You should have been paying attention to the snake and not Dave," he muttered to Charley.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. But you said that the snake strikes when the spell caster moved, so I was trying to pay attention to when Dave moved," Charley explained as she hissed gently when veronica prodded the area around a bite wound a little too harshly. "Ouch, Veronica," she said lightly.

"Sorry, but it seems as though there's some bruising around the bite marks. Just stay still while I heal this for you," Veronica said gently, her accent soothing both the apprentices' nerves. Balthazar and Kaleros both walked off to a different part of the turnaround to observe both apprentices.

"Have you noticed a change in our apprentices?" Kaleros asked as both masters studied the others carefully.

"Yes, I have. It seems as though those two have grown closer," Balthazar said as he watched Dave move behind Charley so she could lean against him. Charley did so gratefully and sighed when Dave wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Dave did say that he and Becky had a fight and she hasn't called yet," Balthazar said while still watching the apprentices.

"Charlemagne told me that as well. She and Dave though are growing quite close. Perhaps our apprentices are falling for one another?" Kaleros offered in explanation. Both masters watched as Dave pulled his phone out after it went off. Dave merely glanced at the phone before shaking his head and putting it back in his hoodie pocket.

"Becky has been texting Dave for a couple days now," Balthazar explained when he saw Kaleros throw him a confused look. "Dave doesn't want to settle this fight of theirs over text, he actually wants to talk to her," Balthazar said with a sigh.

"I take it you don't approve of this Becky girl?" Kaleros said with a small smile. Balthazar shook his head in slight disgust.

"She's hardly what you'd call a girl. She looks like one but she certainly doesn't act like one. She expects to solve everything with a simple apology but this argument isn't going to be that simple," Balthazar said as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"What is this fight all about anyways? Charlemagne simply said that there's a fight between them but didn't go any further," Kaleros said with interest.

"Apparently Becky blew up at Dave for spacing out at a poetry reading and tried to say that she's done everything she hates for him. He proved her wrong and then decided that making a scene wasn't a good idea so he told her to call him when she's ready to talk and left," Balthazar explained as he watched Veronica gracefully stand back up and walk over to them. The apprentices however didn't notice her departure as they continued to discuss whatever and lean against one another.

"Those two surely are oblivious to what's going on between them," Veronica said as she cuddled into Balthazar's side. "Charley didn't even notice when I was healing her bite wound. She was so focused on Dave," she said with a gentle smile.

"What was the text about?" Balthazar asked his petite lover.

"Oh it was Becky. It started out as her apologizing but then it turned nasty as she started accusing him of not caring because he hasn't replied. That girl is absolutely horrible," Veronica said with grimace. "But Charley quickly wiped his frown away," Veronica said, her gently smile returning.

"What did she say?" Kaleros asked.

"That Dave's inability to lie will prove to Becky that she's crazy for thinking like that," Veronica said. "She truly cares for Dave," she sighed out dreamily.

"I bet that Becky and Dave won't solve this fight peacefully, and that Charley and Dave will realize their feelings," Balthazar said as he held Veronica closer.

"Oh? And how much are you willing to bet?" Kaleros asked with interest. Balthazar turned his head to look at his old friend with a smirk.

"I bet a months' worth of teaching our apprentices that Dave and Charley get together before Christmas of this year" Balthazar said with conviction.

"Hmm. And I bet two months of training, that they will get together at the beginning of next year," Kaleros said. Veronica looked at them with a mischievous smile. "Uh oh, I know that look," Kaleros said once he saw Veronica, "What do you bet?"

"I bet that I dress you two in whatever I want, that Dave and Charley get together sometime during the summer," Veronica said with a breathy tone.

"That soon? Veronica, my love, Dave took 10 years to get together with Becky. What makes you think that he can break up with Becky and ask out Charley all before summer?" Balthazar said in disbelief.

"I must agree with him on this one. Dave is a powerful apprentice, but a bit slow on the courting realm," Kaleros said with a disbelieving tone.

"I have faith in them. Dave will have the courage to ask Charley to be his during the summer. Charley already shows signs of liking him as more than a friend, and I'm beginning to think the same for Dave," Veronica said with confidence. "So gentlemen, are we all agreed to our terms of this bet?" She asked in mischief.

"I believe we are," Kaleros and Balthazar said together. And with that the masters shook hands and turned to watch as their apprentices laugh over the bite mark in Charley's boot.


	10. How Dark Can You Blush?

**Let the games begin! Who shall win the bet? Will it be the two masters in hopes of getting off of training; Or will it be the soft spoken, Veronica, who will dress the men in which ever outfit she chooses? Well, I guess we get to wait and see!**

Chapter 10: How dark can You Blush?

"So what made you decide on having a girl's day out, Veronica?" Charley asked as her and Veronica walked arm-in-arm down the street towards Central Park.

"I just thought it would be nice to have a day that's just us girls. And Balthazar, Kaleros, and Dave need to have some male bonding time as well," Veronica said lightly as she kept looking around. Charley smiled at the almost childlike glee on her face as she saw. "And besides, I would like to speak with you about something that is strictly…girl talk," she said vaguely.

"Um…ok," Charley said unsurely. Veronica sent her a reassuring smile.

"It's nothing terrible I assure you," Veronica said with a teasing tone, "I just wish to know how much you care for Dave," she said as though commenting on the weather. Charley's head shot up to look at Veronica with wide eyes. She could feel her cheeks heat up in a violent blush.

"Wha-what do you mean?" she stuttered before clearing her throat. Veronica's smile turned into a mischievous smirk.

"What I mean is, the feelings you have for Dave that are turning your cheeks and nose a lovely shade of pink," Veronica teased. Charley shook her head vehemently, trying to will away her blush.

"Dave and I are just good friends, Veronica. I have no idea where you're getting such scandalous ideas," Charley tried to laugh it off. However her attempts were futile as Veronica's smirk simply grew in size.

"My dear, you cannot lie if your face gives you away," Veronica said simply as she continued to gaze at the street performers that were along the path through the park. "Now, I would like to ask you just a few simple questions, and I would appreciate your honesty," Veronica said with an imploring look.

"There's no way I'm getting out of this; is there?" Charley asked with a dejected sigh. Veronica simply smiled and shook her head no. "Alright, I'll play along," she sighed.

"I'll try to make it painless. First question; are your feelings for Dave of the romantic nature?" Veronica asked after watching a fire breather perform. Charley took her free hand and rubbed her forehead fiercely.

"Well…yeah, I have a crush on him. He's such an awesome friend and he's the coolest nerd I've ever met. And he's pretty cute too," Charley said as her cheeks heated up once again. Veronica smiled gently.

"Dave certainly is a remarkable young man. Now, for my second question; if Dave and Becky were to end their so called relationship, would you try to be with Dave?" Veronica asked gently.

"If I knew my feelings would be returned, sure. But I wouldn't ask right after a break up. Especially since Becky is his first girlfriend and he waited ten years for her," Charley said with a small frown. "Becky doesn't deserve that kind of devotion if she can't trust Dave," she grumbled, "especially if she's going to flirt around with other guys," she growled. Veronica looked at Charley with slight admiration.

"I take it you do not like girls like Becky?" she asked. Charley simply frowned further and shook her head no.

"Girls like that don't deserve guys like Dave," she said with a blank tone. Veronica's smile increased slightly. "So are there any more questions?" Charley asked.

"No, that's all the questions I have for you," Veronica said.

"I wonder what the boys are up to." Charley said out loud. Veronica simply giggled and smiled. She already knew exactly what they were doing.

**SCENE CHANGE**

"So wait, you just want to ask me some questions?" Dave asked after all of the guys arrived back at the turnaround from lunch.

"Exactly, Dave, and since we know you can't lie, there's no need for you to try," Kaleros said. His smile stretched wider when he saw Dave grumble and shuffle his feet.

"So why don't we just get started, hmm?" Balthazar asked with his annoying cheerfulness.

"I'm so going to regret this," Dave mumbled under his breath.

"Ok, first question; what are your feelings towards Becky?" Kaleros asked straight away. Dave looked up and quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"She's my girlfriend, but things aren't exactly going well. So I guess my feelings for her are diminishing the longer she takes to just call me and set up a time to work things out," Dave said, his voice not wavering in the slightest.

"Next question; Do you like Charley as more than a friend?" Balthazar asked with a devious smirk. He and Kaleros cheered in their minds as they saw the dark red blush surface on his face and ears.

"Yes," Dave said almost too quietly for the sorcerers to hear.

"How much do you like her?" Kaleros teased.

"What does it matter? She only sees me as a friend anyways. And besides, I'm with Becky," Dave said with a slightly harsh tone. The masters were momentarily shocked at the iciness of Dave tones before they got themselves back in order.

"Well you never know, Dave. She may like you back," Balthazar said. "I mean you two were getting quite close a few days ago when Veronica was healing Charley's ankle," he pointed out.

"I was just trying to make up for hurting her, that's all," Dave tried to brush it off. He failed miserably when Balthazar gave him the look indicating that he wasn't believing him. "Ok so I was taking advantage of the situation to have an excuse to cuddle with Charley. Is that so wrong?" Save said with a defeated tone and a sigh.

"Don't give up hope young Dave. Charlemagne is an honest woman. She will never lie to you if you were to ask her how she feels about you," Kaleros tried to sooth the apprentice.

"Kaleros is right, Dave. Just ask her, I'm sure she'll tell you," Balthazar said in encouragement. Dave mustered up a weak smile before plopping in a seat and hanging his head.

"Maybe I'll do just that," he mumbled. Balthazar and Kaleros smiled gently at the young man who was still trying to understand the complexity of emotions…and women.

**So some serious ground breaking occurred. Both apprentices admitted to their feelings. But now, who will win the bet? How long will it take for Dave to gather the courage to ask Charley her feelings? And will Dave and Becky be able to fix their relationship? Stay tuned for the next update! And don't forget to review!**


	11. Lesson 5 Opportunities Have Shelf Lives

**Hello my readers! So sorry for the month long wait for the latest update. I totally just forgot about updating and I feel so bad about that. So please forgive me! So here's the latest installment. Enjoy and don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read!**

**WARNING: FLUFF ALERT!**

Lesson 5: Opportunities Have a Shelf Life

Night time in New York City had to be one of the prettiest sights out there. Or at least that was what Charley believed as her and Dave sat on the roof of the Chrysler building talking and leaning against each other.

"So how have you been these past few days?" Charley asked as she sipped her Arizona green tea. Dave shrugged before looking at the city lights.

"A bit hectic really, Balthazar upped a few of the spells so I'm really on my toes trying to keep myself from getting hurt. Bennet hasn't been home for a few days, I think he's with his girlfriend," Dave said with another shrug. It had been a few days since Balthazar and Kaleros asked him about his feelings towards Charley, and he was still thinking about it. "I broke up with Becky," he added. Charley choked on her mouthful of tea and proceeded to spew it out over the side of the building.

"You did what?" Charley rasped after nearly coughing a lung out while Dave laughed at her reaction.

"I broke up with Becky. She finally called me yesterday and we met up to talk. It started out alright, we talked about the poetry incident and then she started yelling how I was ignoring her because of you and that I was cheating on her with you and I just couldn't take it anymore. I told her that I wasn't cheating on her with you and that we were busy training and that I told her that I wanted to actually talk and not text about our fight," Dave explained as Charley watched the emotions pass over his face. She watched as he grew angry and then defeated in little to no time. "I told her that I can't be with a girl that didn't trust me and that I think it'd be best if we broke up," he continued as he leaned back on his hands.

"Becky doesn't understand what she just lost," Charley said as she looked at the city. "Guys like you are one in a million and when a girl finds a guy like you, they're supposed to hang on, not let it go," she said with a sigh as she turned her gaze to her lap and fiddled with the tab on her tea. Dave looked at her with a small smile.

"That's probably the best thing I've ever heard said about me," Dave said and his smile grew when Charley looked at him through her lashes and bangs. "And girls like you are a few and far between. I have never met a girl like you. The way you see things are so…magical," Dave said before he laughed at his own joke while Charley joined in.

"That was so horrible Dave. And thank you for the compliment. So now that you're a single man, what are you going to do this summer?" Charley asked as she remembered that Dave had a lot of plans with Becky. Dave just shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure. Training obviously," Dave said with a smirk as Charley rolled her eyes at the answer.

"I meant for fun you goof," she said with a giggle. Dave just smiled back before laughing as Charley stuck her tongue out. "Answer the question Dave," she said with a smile.

"Well we could always hang out. I still have life lessons to learn after all," Dave said as though it was the obvious answer. Charley pursed her lips and nodded before her eyes lit up in remembrance.

"I'm going home to visit my folks. Want to come with?" Charley asked in eagerness.

"Sure, where do they live?" Dave said before he laid back on the roof and put his hands under his head.

"They live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It's an easy drive there," Charley replied before turning around to lie on her back, using Dave's stomach as a pillow. "I wish we could see the stars," she muttered with a soft sigh. Dave craned his neck up to see Charley's frown before putting his head back down.

"You sure your parents won't mind me tagging along?" Dave asked after a few moments of them staring at the sky. "I don't want to drop that kind of news on them the day we get there," he added. He felt Charley shrug against his side before she moved to lean on her elbow to face him.

"I'll ask them tomorrow. But I'm sure they'll say yes. The last we talked they complained that they haven't met any of my friends so things will work out," she said as she raised her free hand up to move her hair off her shoulder. Dave followed the movement before looking back at Charley's face.

"Alright that works. So other than seeing your family, what else should we do?" Dave asked as he closed his eyes to think. Charley furrowed her brows slightly as she thought of things to do.

"There's always going to the pool, hanging out at the mall, you know, typical college student stuff," Charley said after a moment before moving to lie back down when her elbow and shoulder protested her position. "I could teach you how to draw and you could teach me science stuff," she added with a giggle. She shook slightly as Dave laughed at her latest idea.

"Hey Charley, I have a random question," Dave said after he calmed his laughter down.

"Shoot"

"Do you believe in the saying 'opportunity knocks once'?" he asked. Charley shifted back up onto her elbow as she raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I told you it was random," Dave said in defense for the oddity of the question.

"I believe that opportunities have a shelf life. Depending on the situation, the opportunity can last for who know how long," Charley said after taking a moment to think.

"So you're saying that you shouldn't waste an opportunity?" Dave asked for clarification. Charley nodded her head yes.

"What brought this on?" Charley asked as she turned over onto her stomach so she lay her arms across Dave's chest and rest her head on them facing Dave.

"Oh just remembering what Kaleros, Balthazar, and I talked about a few days ago," Dave said. "What do you think is a good enough time for waiting between girlfriends?" he asked randomly again.

"Dave, you don't need to ask my opinion on when you should get a new girlfriend," Charley said with a slight laugh. She looked down in slight sadness when she thought of Dave already thinking of asking a new girl out.

"Well I'd like to have your opinion. I mean you know more about this stuff then I do," Dave said in a teasing tone.

"I guess it depends. If you feel like you're ready for another girlfriend and you already have someone in mind then I don't see a reason why you should wait too long. You never know if that person you're after will find someone to be with between the time you decide to ask and the time you do ask," Charley said as carefully as she could, trying to hide the slight hurt in her voice.

"Charley," Dave said as he brought himself up onto his elbows, causing Charley to shift into a different position on her side facing him. "I'm going to use a recent life lesson you just taught me," he said. He smiled as he watched her confusion show on her face before he made his move. He sat all the way and pulled Charley into a sitting position. He then brought his hand to the side of her face and trailed it back to her neck. Charley's breath gave a slight hitch at the touch and her eyes fluttered closed and using the last bit of courage that he had, Dave leaned in and kissed Charley's slightly open lips.

They made no move to deepen the kiss, this was just a sweet kiss that they kept holding for as long as possible. They moved back simultaneously and just smiled at each other. "Opportunities have shelf lives, and I wasn't about to let this one expire," Dave said with a smile before going in for another kiss as Charley simply smiled into it. They stayed on the roof just cuddling and kissing for the rest of the evening before heading off to the campus to get some sleep.

**SQUEEL! I finally got them together. And since it's close to their summer (time line is off I know), that means that Veronica is the winner of the bet! So send me your ideas for what poor Kaleros and Balthazar have to wear as their end of the deal! Thanks everyone!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Wowsers am I late on updating! Sorry ya'll! But school started last month and I was trying to get back into the swing of things. But now I'm back with a ton of ideas to type! So hopefully you guys can find it in your hearts to forgive me for taking so long on the updating. Thanks and enjoy!**

Chapter 11: OMG!

Charley rubbed at her eyes tiredly as she slowly made her way to the old subway turnaround that Dave claimed as his lab.

"I really shouldn't have stayed up that late," Charley mumbled before covering her mouth as a huge yawn escaped. "I blame Dave," Charley said with a definitive nod. Her lips curved into a small smile as she recalled the night she and Dave kissed. It was a couple days ago, but it was still on her mind. And with them texting late into the night, she knew that Dave was still thinking about it too.

"Hey Charley!" Dave shouted as he quickly jogged to catch up with the brunette. "Wow you look tired," he said with a sheepish smile. "Guess I shouldn't have kept you up all night," he said as he hung his head in slight shame. Charley just giggled before grabbing Dave's head and bringing it back up.

"I'll live. Besides, Veronica said that practice was cancelled tonight but she had something to show us. So look on the bright side, I can't be bitten by a water snake," Charley said in a teasing tone before pecking Dave's lips. "Smile hon, your pout is breaking my heart," she said before lacing her fingers between his and continuing their trek to the lab space. Dave mumbled his breath about the ridiculousness of the girls he likes before resigning himself to being dragged to the lab.

"Veronica? Balthazar? Kaleros?" Dave called out when he failed to see the three sorcerers. He turned to Charley but she just shrugged her shoulders with a confused face.

"Maybe they lied about this not being training?" Charley suggested as she tensed slightly and kept her eyes moving around the turnaround. Dave shook his head negatively.

"Veronica doesn't lie. And I'd be able to tell if someone imitated her voice," Dave said as he walked around the lab in hopes of spotting a sign that the older sorcerers were around. The two apprentices jumped suddenly when they heard the outraged cries of their masters in the small loft like area.

"You have got to be kidding me, Veronica!" the distinct voice of Balthazar shouted in dismay.

"I won the bet fair and square, so now you two must uphold your end of the deal," the amused voice of Veronica rang out clearly. Dave and Charley turned to each other with similar looks of confusion.

"Don't ask me, I'm just as lost as you are hon," Charley said as she walked back over to Dave.

"Well at least I'm not the only one," Dave said as he wrapped an arm around Charley's shoulders.

"Veronica, I am pleading with you; please do not make us wear these ridiculous garments!" Kaleros could be heard practically whining.

"I shall not grant you mercy. Now your apprentices are most likely here and it's time for them to understand why they should never make a bet with me," Veronica declared with a smug voice. Charley winked at Dave before moving her free hand to cup around her mouth.

"Veronica! I thought you said you had something to show us! All I see is the same old stuff!" Charley shouted with a smile.

"We're coming!" Veronica said with far too much glee. She breezed through the doorway of the loft area and practically skipped down the stairs. "Now you two, I have a very important lesson to teach you. I have always been very intuitive, and I am rarely wrong when it comes to matters of the heart. As such, when I offer to make a bet on such matters, refuse immediately. Or else you shall be subjected to the same type of punishment as Balthazar and Kaleros," Veronica said in a deadly serious tone. Dave and Charley nodded their heads yes with quirked eyebrows.

"Veronica, what are you talking about?" Dave ventured to ask.

"The three of us had a bet going on when you two will be together," Veronica said, smiling as she saw the two young adults blush and smile, "and I have won our bet. So as the terms state, they must wear an outfit of my choosing. And I have chosen the perfect outfits," Veronica said with a slightly mad smile on her face. The apprentices looked slightly frightened as they leaned away from the woman.

"And what are our masters wearing?" Charley asked in fear. Veronica's mad smile grew before she turned to face the loft area once again.

"Boys, come down please!" Veronica said in a sing song voice. The two apprentices could not hold themselves up after their masters walked out of the loft. Kaleros and Balthazar shot harsh glares at the rolling apprentices who were trying, and failing, to breathe through their laughing.

"Kaleros, that dress does nothing for your figure!" Charley shouted through laughter and gasps.

"Balthazar, you should have shaved before wearing that!" Dave gasped out as he and Charley continued to roll on the ground. Kaleros and Balthazar scowled in disdain at the matching, frilly, pink polka-dotted, little bo beep dresses that they were currently sporting. Complete with a poofy white bonnet on top of their heads and knee high socks and pink mary jane shoes.

"I thought it was appropriate because they are leading their lambs through the world of magic," Veronica said between her own giggles. Her smile spread as she watched the two apprentices relax in the presence of their ridiculously dressed masters. Now she knew that a deeper bond between master and apprentice could be formed between all four of them.

**So what do you think? I thought the little bo beep costumes were just inspired! Let me know what you think in reviews or PMs. And don't forget, reviews make sure you get what you want to read! Thanks!**


	13. Art Show Jealousy

**Once again I prove that I suck at updating on a regular basis. But I think the anticipation makes the chapters better…right? –sheepish grin- I hope this chapter was worth the wait for everyone. Enjoy!**

Chapter 13: Art Show Jealously

Dave smiled as he watched Charley scramble around the show room placing her pieces and placing them somewhere else. Charley turned and sent a quick glare to her chuckling boyfriend before turning back to her show with a contemplative look. Dave got up from his seat and wrapped his arms around Charley's small waist.

"Charley, your show is going to be amazing. Who cares where you put your pieces?" Dave said in an attempt to comfort Charley. However, you never tell an art major that it doesn't matter where their pieces are. Charley whipped around with a shocked look.

"Don't care?! Dave! Placement is an important part to an art show! It must flow, your pieces must harmoniously coexist or else they start fighting for attention and no one is able to fully appreciate what is created!" Charley explained in a flamboyant way as she moved about her show making adjustments. Dave just blinked in astonishment before carefully hedging towards Charley again.

"Sorry, but I'm not an art major so I wouldn't know these things. But if you ask me, I think your show looks amazing. A lot better than some of them," Dave said as he looked at the variety of fantasy creatures that Charley created. From the detailed dragons to the graceful fairies, Charley displayed various techniques and mediums with apparent ease; too bad only Dave knew of the hours she put in and the amount of stress that they individually created. "Hon, just take a deep breath and relax. You finally got rid of the stress from making all of this, now it's time to simply feel proud and enjoy the finished projects," Dave said as he rubbed at Charley's shoulders.

"You're right. I should just relax. I have the show flowing between the elements with transition creatures between each. It flows nicely, the colors don't clash and everything is placed in optimal light to enhance the images. I just need to take a step back and just appreciate," Charley said as she took some deep breaths. "Thank you, Dave," Charley said before she turned and gave him a quick kiss. "You are coming to the show right?" Charley asked.

"I am, as is Kaleros, Balthazar, and Veronica," Dave said. "We have to be slightly dressy for this thing right? Nice pants and shirt?" Dave asked as he held his girlfriend. Charley nodded in confirmation before looking over Dave's shoulder.

"Charley, your show ready for tonight?" the art professor asked as he walked over to the couple.

"That I am. And thanks for helping me price out my pieces. I've been looking around and some of the prices my fellow classmates have come up with are astronomical!" Charley said.

"Well we have to get you started somewhere price wise. And when you become famous, which you will, you can start asking for the 'astronomical' prices," the professor said with a wink before he walked off to check on the other shows. Charley turned to face Dave again with a smile.

"Well I have to go get ready for tonight. So I shall see you later," Charley said before giving Dave one last kiss and strutting out of the building the show was being hosted in.

**ART SHOW**

The building was bustling with art appreciators as they "oohed" and "awed" at the vast display of artwork. Charley smiled as she wandered around her show and answered any questions the admirers had. Her cream colored dress with blue designs at the bottom complimented not only her, but also her show.

"I must say, Charlemagne, that your show is quite impressive," Kaleros said as he, Blathazar, Veronica, and Dave walked up.

"Thank you! I'm so happy that school is almost over. Then Dave and I can go and visit my folks for a bit," Charley said as she hugged all three of them.

"You should really be proud of yourself, Charley. Your work is beautiful," Veronica said as she admired her mermaid sculpture that was smashed once before.

"That's a remake of piece. The original was smashed 'on accident'," Charley explained, putting air quotes on the accident part. Kaleros just quirked an eyebrow as he continued to look through the show. "You guys should go and enjoy the rest of the show. I'll be fine here on my own," Charley said as the three of them just hung around her show.

"You sure, hon?" Dave checked before being kissed.

"Yes, now go. Some of my classmates have amazing pieces themselves," Charley said.

"When is the purchasing going to take place? I'm noticing price tags," Kaleros asked in interest.

"Pieces can be bought after the show ends later tonight. That way the artists have an entire show rather than bits and pieces," Charley answered. "Why? Planning on buying one of my pieces, Master?" Charley teased.

"Watch it, apprentice," Kaleros said with a light head slap. Charley just giggled as she watched her friends wander off to see the rest of the shows. Charley smiled before turning back around when a person asked her a question about one of her pieces.

Time passed in a leisurely slow pace as the artists showed off their work to art enthusiasts. Charley sighed in joy as people passed by and commented on her work.

"Pardon me, but may I ask you a question?" a masculine voice all but purred. Charley turned and gaped at the man.

"Michael?" Charley breathed in astonishment. "Oh my gosh I haven't seen you in years! You look amazing!" Charley said as she hugged the chuckling man.

"I must say that you have certainly grown up a bit yourself," Michael said with a sigh. "It's wonderful to see you again. When I saw the flyer for the art show and saw your name, I couldn't help but feel light hearted. I finally have a chance to see you again after all these years," Michael said as he held Charley at arm's length.

"Really? I mean from what I remembered, you were the one that said you never wanted to see me again," Charley teased as she held onto Michael's shoulders.

"And I've regretted saying that ever since the words left my mouth," Michael said as he smoothed back some of his blonde bangs. His green eyes showed deep content as he gazed at Charley. "You're just as beautiful as I remembered," he breathed before bringing Charley into another deep hug.

"And you're still a charmer," Charley said as she hugged just a bit tighter. Just at that moment, Dave turned and saw his girlfriend hug a random guy. His stomach plummeted and his heart raced as he watched them move back and smile at each other.

"It could be anyone. Maybe it's a family member that she hasn't seen in a while or maybe an old friend. There's no need to jump to conclusions," Dave told himself. But seeing the content in their eyes he knew that there was something more there. "Or maybe he's an ex-boyfriend she never really stopped caring for," Dave said with a defeated tone.

**Dun dun duuuuun. I was inspired by an episode of "Boy Meets World" and I thought that it would add a nice little plot twist. So what is Dave going to do about this mysterious blonde haired green eyed Casanova? Give me your ideas for reactions through reviews or messages! Thanks everyone!**


	14. I Liked Him, but I Love You

**Finals are done and I can become a typing ninja! You shall have more timely updates until January 14, when college starts again. But for now my focus is on pleasing my readers with a constant stream of updates! So it's time for Charley to answer some questions about this newcomer, Michael! Enjoy!**

Chapter 14: I Liked Him, but I Love You

Dave sat at the campus coffee shop staring into his tea with a solemn look. Charley had spent the previous day showing Michael around New York City and Dave didn't know how to feel about that. Charley assured him that Michael was just a friend now but she did tell him that she did date him for a time.

"At least she was honest about him being a past boyfriend," Dave sighed heavily. He failed to notice Charley walk in with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Hey honey, what's with the heavy sigh?" Charley asked as she leaned against Dave's back and kissed his cheek. "Are you still unhappy about, Michael?" Charley asked as she moved to take the empty chair next to him.

"I know that you said you weren't going to back out with him, but I still can't help but worry. I mean he has a lot more going for him than I do and there had to be something about him that you liked or obviously you wouldn't have dated him. I'm just a science nerd after all and he's practically a male model," Dave said with another heavy sigh. Charley just smiled and rolled her eyes before moving her chair even closer to Dave's. Charley wrapped her arms around of Dave's and leaned in close to his ear.

"Michael is handsome in the typical sense, but I don't like typical. I quite enjoy the fact that I'm dating a man who is confident in being intelligent enough to understand complex physics and is proud to say he's a nerd. And you're also the Prime Merlinian, but that's just an added bonus. I'm dating you because you are what I've always wanted in a man. Michael only has pieces of what I want, and he will never compare to you. I may have liked Michael, but I love you, Dave," Charley whispered in Dave's ear close enough that he could feel her lips move against it. Dave gave a small shudder as he felt her teasing smile on the curve of his ear. But he let out a startled yelp when she playfully bit the lobe of his ear before pulling away with a giggle and a wink. Dave just smiled at his girlfriend.

"So my fears are pointless. Because after that little announcement of yours I don't think I'll ever worry about that, Michael," Dave said with a slight frown. "Why is he here anyways? I mean you told me that he said he never wanted to see you again when you broke up," Dave continued, completely missing the part where Charley said she loved him. But Charley just smiled and said to herself that he'll get it eventually, and probably before the night is over.

"Michael and I broke up on bad terms. I was coming here for my degree and Michael wanted me to stay in Pennsylvania with him and just go to the local University. But I got a full ride here and I didn't want to waste that. So I told him that if he can't support my decision than I don't want to be with him. He was pissed off and said that since I can't be a good girlfriend and stay close to him then he doesn't wish to see or hear from me again. I left the next day to come here and get settled in and I didn't hear from him for two years. He's here to try and reconcile. He understands that nothing more can come from our talking but he said he's happy with being friends. We used to have great conversations about anything," Charley said as she leaned her elbow on the table and just doodled with her finger on the table top.

"So let me get this straight, you two broke up because he wanted you to throw away a full ride to stay in Pennsylvania with him?" Dave asked in confusion. When Charley nodded her head yes Dave threw his hands up in shock. "What kind of guy does that? Who can even be that selfish to ask someone else to throw away their dreams just to stay with them? I can't believe that guy!" Dave ranted as Charley just watched with a loving smile.

"And that's another reason why I'm with you, Dave Stutler," Charley said as she surprised Dave with a kiss. "Why don't we head over to your lab space? We'd be the only ones there and I feel the urge for a good, long, make out session," Charley said with a flirty smirk. Dave just opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water for a few moments before squeaking out an ok and stood up. Charley just laughed at her flustered boyfriend while grabbing his hand. "You, are quite possibly the cutest guy I've ever met," Charley teased.

"Well at least I have something going for me," Dave said with a small shrug and a smile. "So by good, long, make out session, what do you mean exactly?" Dave asked while looking up and blushing. Charley just hummed in thought before wrapping Dave's arm around her shoulders and snuggling into his side.

"I mean a make out session that leaves both of us breathless and wanting nothing more than to continue kissing one another. The type of make out sessions that are over dramatized in all the romantic comedies that women can't get enough of," Charley said as she kissed Dave's neck lightly. "And the type of making out that doesn't just stay on the lips," Charley continued as an afterthought.

"You do realize that you're my second girlfriend in my entire life right? I'm probably going to screw up something during this make out session," Dave said with a self-depreciating smile.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to teach you the art of an amazing kiss," Charley said with a flirty wink as she climbed down the stairs to Dave's lab space.

"Well I hope I don't disappoint my teacher than," Dave said with a silly grin on his face. Before he was able to get much farther into the lab space/training area, Charley's lips were on his in a chaste kiss that was too brief for his liking.

"I doubt you will disappoint me, sweetheart. Now let's begin," Charley said against Dave's lips before kissing him again. It was in the middle of the make out session that Dave realized something.

"Wait, you love me?" Dave asked in shock.

"You're just now realizing I said that? Sweetie, you are such a goof," Charley said with an affectionate laugh before continuing the make out session.

Unbeknown to the two Merlinians, a Morganian and her apprentice conversed over a plan.

"You're sure that you can bring her back to you?" The Morganian asked with a sneer at her apprentice.

"Charley has always been easy to impress, I shall have her at my side once again in no time. And once she is out of the way, nothing will prevent us from taking down the Prime Merlinian," A smooth voice replied with an easy smirk. The apprentice moved some of his blonde bangs out of his face, his green eyes shined with malice. "And I'll be able to do with Charley, whatever I feel like," He said with a sickening grin.

**Thank you Achyls for the idea of the Morganians! It was inspired and I think it adds a nice twist to the story. Don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read!**


	15. A Rose by any Other Name

**Once again I prove that I really do suck at updating on a regular basis. But this is my last week before I start my last semester for my Associates degree so I am going to be typing like crazy. So hopefully you guys can forgive me for not updating. Now enough with this stuff that no one really reads; on with the story!**

Chapter 15: A Rose by Any Other Name

Michael watched in amusement as Charley quietly snuck up to a tree in the student courtyard to sketch a squirrel. His smirk grew twisted as he thought of the incantation that he was going to use to trap Charley into believing she was in love with him. Getting Charley out of the way would be a piece of cake. With a confident smirk, Michael strolled over to Charley who was busy sketching. Michael looked in confusion when it looked like the squirrel was posing for her.

"Hello, Charley," Michael said in his rolling baritone. Charley swore softly when the squirrel ran up the tree in fright. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare off your model," Michael said lightly.

"No it's alright. I got what I wanted essentially. So what can I do for you Michael?" Charley asked as she rose from her seated position on the ground.

"I just wished to talk. It's been so wonderful to be talking with you again, that I'm quickly becoming addicted once more to our conversations," Michael said with a dazzling smile. Charley raised an eyebrow at her ex in confusion. "Come now, what's that look for?" Michael asked with a frown.

"First you never want to see me again, now you come here and want to reconcile, and now you come looking for me every day just to talk. I think I have a legit reason to be confused," Charley said as she fiddled with her ring. The moonstone glowing slightly as she moved it around on her finger. Michael shrugged his shoulders and scuffed his foot lightly on the dirt.

"I already told you that saying that I never wanted to see you was the biggest mistake I've ever made. I missed you terribly when you left. Every time you came back to visit your folks, I wanted to see you. But you never even acknowledged my presence," Michael explained with a hurt look. Charley crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at the blonde man in front of her.

"You told me you never wanted to see me again, so of course I was just doing as you said and ignored you. So forgive me if you weren't clear on your meaning. Now, if you don't mind, I am going to go find my boyfriend and then spend the day with him," Charley said with a slightly aggravated tone. Without a final glance, Charley walked passed an irate Michael. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Michael controlled his anger and turned to catch up with Charley.

"Charley, wait!" Michael shouted to the fast walking woman. With a slight growl Charley stopped and turned around. "Look, I'm sorry that I've been acting like a jerk. Let me make it up to you?" Michael said in a pleading tone. Charley rolled her eyes before replying.

"I really don't feel like any of your apologies right now. You did this all the time when we were together too. You'd blow up and make everything a big deal and then be all charming and asking to make it up. It's one reason why I'm actually glad we're not together anymore. So I'm going to go find my boyfriend and you are going to go do whatever it is you've been doing here in New York. Goodbye, Michael," Charley said with an annoyed tone before turning on her heel and walking away. Michael acted rapidly and grabbed her arm before she got too far. "What, Michael?!" Charley shouted in irritation.

"Please, at least take this," Michael said as he held a wooden rose. The very same wooden rose that he placed the enchantment on to make Charley fall in love with him. Charley rolled her eyes and snatched the rose before storming off. She completely missed the twisted smirk on Michael's face as she walked away. "Soon, you'll be with me once again. And then my master will have unlimited access to the Prime Merlinian. All is going according to plan," Michael said before walking off with a deep chuckle.

Charley watched as her boyfriend fiddled around in the physics lab for a few moments before heading in. "Hey babe, having fun tinkering?" Charley said as she walked up behind her boyfriend and hugged him from behind. Dave jumped minutely before looking over his shoulder at his girlfriend.

"Yeah I'm just trying to fix some relays so that they don't spark when turned on," Dave explained before turning back to his work and tightening some screws.

"Yeah, I understood none of that. So any other things you have to do today or are you free after this?" Charley asked as she watched Dave work. Dave chuckled before nodding his head in understanding.

"I have some other things here in the lab that the professors want me to fix so I don't know when I'll be done," Dave said with a slight frown. Charley just shrugged and pecked her boyfriend's lips before going and taking a seat on one of the stools.

"I don't mind. I'd rather hang out and watch you work then deal with Michael right now," Charley said with a huff. "The jerk doesn't seem to understand the meaning of no. He even gave me this silly little thing," Charley said as she placed the wooden rose on the table. Dave grabbed it and turned it around to get a good look at it.

"Is it weird that I'm feeling like some sort of charge from this thing?" Dave asked as he switched it to the hand where his ring rested. The stone on the dragon glowed brightly, causing both Dave and Charley to look on in confusion. "That's weird," Dave stated as he put the rose down, making the stone glow dully. "It's reacting to the rose," Dave said in a confused tone. Charley reached over and grabbed the rose with her ring hand and watched as the moonstone glowed in varying shades of colors.

"What the hell is this thing?" Charley asked out loud. "I'm calling Kaleros," Charley said as she reached for her phone. "Kaleros, we have something really weird here…we don't know what's going on…Michael gave me this wood rose and both mine and Dave's rings started glowing like crazy…yeah I have my encantus with me…hold on let me get it out and unshrunken," Charley spoke over the phone before digging into her backpack for the shrunken encantus. Dave took it from her and started to regrow it and then flip through the pages. "What are we looking for exactly?...Uh huh ok," Charley said. "Dave, look under the love spells and enchantments section. Veronica thinks she recognizes a wood rose in the encantus," Charley said to Dave. Dave nodded in acknowledgement as he flipped through the pages. "But where would Michael get an enchanted item? He's not a sorcerer," Charley said both to Kaleros on the phone and Dave who just shrugged in confusion.

"Found it, the love doll spell. According to the encantus, any wooden object can be enchanted to make the person who receives the item fall in love with the giver. It only works on those who are not sorcerers. A sorcerer can detect the spell through their ring. The magic on the item will cause the stone or stones on the sorcerer's ring to glow brilliantly when it is in their presence," Dave read from the encantus. "It also says that the person under the spell will act like a doll and only respond to the whims of the sorcerer," Dave finished with a scowl. "I'm going to check the history section, see if Michael is in here," he said before flipping to the back area.

"Well I guess his plans backfired on him. But if he is a sorcerer, then what side is he on? Is he a Morganian or a Merlinian? Or is he like Kaleros and neutral?" Charley asked the group, having put her phone on speaker so the masters would hear the spell.

"It seems as though there are many things that man has kept secret from you," Veronica's accented voice drifted through the speaker of the phone.

"There's no history on him you guys. Someone must be tampering with the books to prevent him from showing up," Dave said as he kept flipping through the history section.

"But that's dark magic, altering the time of events," Charley said before biting her lip. "Michael must a Morganian's apprentice," she said with a sigh.

"But there's one thing we have over him and his master. He doesn't know you're an apprentice, which is why he gave you the enchanted rose," Balthazar said with a definitive tone. "I want you both to come to the training area as soon as you're done with whatever at the college. And Charley, we'll think of something to do about this Michael and his cheap tricks," Balthazar said with a small hint of a growl in his voice. The conversation ended and Charley banged her head onto the table top. Dave just looked on in anger at the rose.

"I know one thing that might make you feel better right now," Dave said as he walked over to one of the bunsen burners. Charley watched with a smile as Dave turned the burner on a lit it. "Care to do the honors?" Dave asked as he held the wood rose out to a now giggling Charley. Taking the rose, Charley place the bud part in the flame and watched in satisfaction as it quickly caught on fire.

**The cat is out of the bag! Michael is a Morganian with a hidden agenda! Can our heroes figure out the grand scheme or will the Morganians triumph?! Well you have to keep reading to find out you goofs. And don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read!**


	16. Lesson 6 Friends

**I finally have some free time so I am going to spend it updating every story I have going. I have one updated now I'm working on this one. So here is the long overdue update! Enjoy!**

Chapter 16: Lesson #6: Friends

Dave held Charley protectively as they lay on the couch in the turnaround. They watched as the three masters went through the Encantus cover to cover, trying to find a spell to reverse the time altering that was done.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll find something," Dave said as Charley stared off into space. "Are you going to be ok, babe?" Dave asked as he hugged Charley closer. Charley shrugged lightly before nodding her head yes.

"I just can't believe that he tried to enchant me into loving him. I mean, he had his jerk moments even when we were dating. But for him to do that is just…frightening," Charley said with a slight shudder as she cuddled closer to Dave. Dave just hugged her tighter as she shivered lightly. "It makes me wonder if he's done that to other girls. Is there any girls out there that are still under that spell? I hope not," Charley said as she leaned back to look at Dave.

"If there are any girls out there under his control, then we'll find a way to reverse the spell. There's always a way to reverse spells," Kaleros chimed in from his position around the encantus. Charley quickly glanced at him with eyes filled with gratitude before going back to Dave's comforting arms. "You must remain strong, Charlemagne. Michael will be able to feed off your fear if you show it," Kaleros said gently as he walked over to soothe his apprentice.

"It's just terrifying to know that the only reason why I'm not in a doll-like state is because of my apprenticeship under you," Charley explained to her master. Kaleros nodded in understanding before smoothing her hair lightly and going back to the other masters.

"Any luck in finding what you're looking for?" Dave asked from his place on the couch.

"No, it appears that this Morganian master of his is smarter then we give them credit," Balthazar said with a scowl as he continued to flip through the many pages in the encantus.

"I believe it would be best if you two went home. We do not know how long it will take for us to find what it is we seek," Veronica said in her lilting voice. The other masters nodded in agreement and wished their apprentices a good night.

"Come stay with me and Bennet tonight. I'd sleep a lot better knowing you were nearby just in case," Dave suggested with concern. Charley smiled at her boyfriend.

"Are you sure that's the only reason why you want me to stay?" Charley teased as she cornered her boyfriend against the door to the turnaround. She smirked as she watched Dave's face flush brilliant red and he floundered for words. "I'm teasing you, Dave. You can calm down," Charley giggled as she turned the knob and caused Dave to stumble backwards as the door opened. "But I think I'd sleep better knowing another sorcerer was around, so yes, I will spend the night with you and Bennet," Charley said as walked up the stairs with Dave. "Let's just stop by my dorm room and hope we don't run into my roommate," Charley said as she led Dave back to the campus grounds. The dorm building was a controlled scene of chaos as the lounge area was taken over by the gaming nerds playing Halo as loud as they could. Charley rolled her eyes before leading Dave passed them and to the stair well. "It's their Friday competition this month. Last one before school lets out for summer," Charley explained as they climbed up to the third floor. "Please don't be there, please don't be there," Charley chanted as she walked down the hall to her dorm room. With a deep breath, Charley unlocked her dorm and pushed open the door to the sound of giggling.

"Charley, who is that cutie standing behind you?" a red-headed girl asked from her spot on her lofted bed. Charley slumped her shoulders and gestured for Dave to come in.

"Dave, this is my roommate and slightly annoying best friend, Amber. Amber, this is my boyfriend Dave," Charley introduced quickly as she walked over to her side of the room and grabbed an overnight bag.

"Pleasure to meet you, Dave, I've heard a lot about you. All good, so don't worry," Amber said while holding out her hand for Dave to shake.

"Nice to you meet you too," Dave said awkwardly as he shook Amber's outstretched hand.

"Charley, why are you packing a bag? Gasp! You're going to spend the night with this cutie aren't you?!" Amber squealed in delight as she bounced of her bed and ran to hug Charley.

"Gah! Amber, let me go you crazy woman!" Charley ordered with a laugh. "And yes, I'm going to stay with Dave and his roommate for the night. And before you get any wacky ideas in that head of yours, no we are not going to be doing anything," Charley said as she quickly stuffed some clothes into her bag.

"Uh huh, sure you aren't," Amber said derisively with a coy smirk. Charley just rolled her eyes at her roommate slash best friend before turning to stick her tongue out at Amber. "So mature, sweetheart," Amber said before imitating Charley. Dave watched from the doorway as the two girls threw stuffed animals at each other randomly and poked fun.

"Alright, well, you now have the dorm to yourself for the night, spend it how you've been dying to, I shall see you tomorrow morning in English Lit," Charley said as she walked over to Amber's bed and loudly kissed her cheek.

"Have fun darling, I love you!" Amber shouted as Dave and Charley walked out.

"She seems…hyper," Dave said as they walked out of the dorm building.

"She is. But she's the best friend I could ever ask for. Life lesson time," Charley said with smile.

"Alright, lay it on me," Dave said with a laugh.

"Don't ever count the number of friends you have, but the number of friends you can count on," Charley said with a sincere smile before kissing Dave lightly.

**It's been awhile since there was a life lesson in this story so I figured this would be a good time to add another. Let me know what you think. And if you have any life lessons you want me to add, let me know them by leaving a review or sending me a message. Thanks!**


	17. Chapter 17

**It's time for an update! Enjoy!**

Chapter 17: Good Morning…Maybe

Bennet was no different than Amber was in ribbing Dave about Charley staying with them for the night. Charley just laughed as the two friends horsed around with Dave's dog, Tank, huffing around trying to join in on the fun.

"Alright, so you can stay in my room and I'll take the couch," Dave said as he led Charley to his bedroom.

"Oh no, if anyone sleeps on the couch, it's me. Or, we can just share the bed. We're both adults, sharing shouldn't be a problem," Charley said with a wink as Dave turned red. "Clothes will be on you goof," Charley said with a laugh as she hugged Dave close.

"That's not what I was thinking," Dave tried to defend himself. Charley quirked an eyebrow with an unimpressed look on her face. "Yeah I can't lie, I know," Dave said with a huff before kissing Charley lightly. "Fine, we share, but Tank might not like you taking his spot on the bed," Dave said with a smile as said dog came puffing in.

"Oh I don't think he'll mind," Charley said as she moved over to Tank to give him a good petting. "He's probably on Bennet's side and is excited that a girl is here for the night. Aren't you boy?" Charley asked the now content bulldog. Dave rolled his eyes in reply. "So, what shall we do?" Charley asked as she straightened up and faced her boyfriend.

"I have no idea," Dave said with a small shrug. Charley pursed her lips before spinning in place and falling onto Dave's bed with a sigh. "Well that seems like a good idea," Dave said with a chuckle as he more gracefully got onto the bed next to Charley. Lying on his side with a hand supporting his head, Dave allowed his eyes to wander over Charley's face. Her eyes were closed, but a slight crease marred her brow as she still worried about Michael. Her lips were pulled down into a slight frown and she looked far from restful. "Hey, we'll figure this all out," Dave said quietly as he settled down fully. Charley opened her eyes and rolled onto her side to face Dave with another sigh.

"I know we will, but it still worries me," Charley said before shifting closer and cuddling into Dave. "A nap sounds wonderful right now," Charley said softly with a small smile.

"Then sleep, I'll be here," Dave said before kissing Charley lightly. Charley dozed off quickly as the stress from earlier caught up with her. Dave stayed awake and just watched over her.

The rest of the evening was spent with laughter filling the air as the couple and Bennet watched TV and commented randomly on some of the things that were said on the different shows. And as the couple turned in for the night, Tank had no qualms about sleeping on the floor that night. Morning came far sooner than anyone expected and Charley's phone alarm alerted her to wake up. The soft piano music gently stirred Charley from her dreams as she blinked her eyes to chase away the last of her grogginess. She smiled lightly at her boyfriend whose shoulder she was using as a pillow. Dave was still dead to the world so being as careful as possible, Charley moved out of the bed and out of the bedroom to see what she could make for breakfast. Her long hair was slightly tangled so she gently finger combed her hair as she walked through the small home. Her sleep shorts and tank top made soft sounds as she moved about the kitchen.

"What is with men and not going grocery shopping?" Charley asked herself as she looked through the slightly bare cupboards and fridge. "Looks like omelets and toast for breakfast," Charley said before she moved to find the necessary cooking utensils. Bennet was the first to wake up and make his way out to the kitchen.

"Smells good, I hope you made enough for all of us," Bennet said with a cheeky smile. Charley just handed him a plate with an eye roll before focusing back on the omelet currently cooking. "So what brought this on? Not that I'm complaining," Bennet asked around a mouthful of egg.

"Ya'll let me stay here so I figured why not. That and I don't feel like going to the dining hall for breakfast this morning," Charley said with a shrug. "When does Dave typically get up?" Charley asked as she looked at the clock in the kitchen.

"He'll come out once his brain registers that there's food cooking," Bennet said with a chuckle. "Actually…yep that's him falling out of bed," Bennet said as the two of them heard a muffle thump coming from down the hall.

"Falling out of bed or tripping over Tank?" Charley asked with a giggle. Bennet thought about before just shrugging and going back to his breakfast. Dave stumbled through to the kitchen, bumping into the doorway as he rubbed at his eyes. "Morning, baby," Charley said with a smile as she passed him the finished breakfast.

"Morning," Dave mumbled as he mechanically moved to the table. The peace of the morning was disturbed by Charley's phone going off loudly playing The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas **(AN : the music when Dave screws up and the mops take over)** signaling that it was Kaleros calling. Charley dashed back into Dave's room and snatched her phone.

"Hey what's up?...No I've been up for about an hour and Dave got up just a little bit ago…no we didn't have any problems last night…nothing magic related occurred…get your mind out of the gutter old man, nothing happened…you did?...Ok we'll be there this afternoon…yes this afternoon I have an English Lit class I can't miss…ok see you then…bye," Charley bit her lower lip as she stared at her phone.

"Charley, what's up?" Dave asked in concern.

"They found out who Michael's master is," Charley started. Dave stood up and walked over to her.

"Who is it?" Dave prompted.

"A Morganian sorceress by the name of Versala. She was an apprentice that trained under Morgana herself. And according to Kaleros, she worshipped the ground Morgana walked on," Charley said with a frown.

"Well most of her followers did so," Dave reasoned. Charley sighed in slight frustration.

"Ok how about I explain it this way. She's like Bellatrix from Harry Potter. She's completely insane and she's out for your blood, Harry Potter," Charley said with a serious expression.

"Oh, that kind of worshipper," Dave said with a nervous tone. Bennet watched the two in concern.

"Maybe you shouldn't be participating in this adventure," Bennet said in hopes of lightening the mood. Dave and Charley laughed lightly but their minds were on Versala and her apprentice Michael.

**Well, what did ya'll think? Let me know what you want to have happen next chapter! And don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read! Thanks!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I really don't have an excuse for not updating. Enjoy!**

Chapter 18: It's Personal

The morning sped by in a blink of an eye. Charley stood outside the campus coffee shop, waiting for Dave, so that they could go to the turnaround. She worried her lower lip as she glanced anxiously around the quad in front of her. She gave a sigh of relief when she saw her boyfriend jog over to her.

"Ready to go?" Dave asked after hugging and kissing her quickly. Charley nodded with a deep breath. "You were worried that Michael would come and find you before I did," Dave observed his nervous girlfriend.

"I was," Charley admitted softly while clinging to Dave's side. "Let's go see what our masters have to say," she said as they walked to the turnaround. The trip was quick which further relieved Charley. "So what's the plan?" she cut right to business when she and Dave walked into the turnaround.

"Hello to you as well Charlemagne," Kaleros said sarcastically but understanding her desire to get right to business. "We indeed have a plan to capture, Michael. But it's going to require a bit of acting on your part, my dear apprentice," Kaleros said while crossing his arms. Charley groaned in annoyance before taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"The spell he enchanted the rose with requires an activation word that must be heard by the enchanted. The most common activation word is 'luv'. We need you and Dave to be out in public, somewhere where he can easily come into contact with the two of you. Once he says the activation word, you must act like you are at his mercy. We are confident that he will ask you to take him back here, where we'll be waiting. For now, you and I shall practice your acting," Veronica explained the plan to the apprentices before gently leading Charley to a more quiet place in the turnaround.

"So we're just going to use her for bait?" Dave asked in frustration. Balthazar and Kaleros both watched the concerned and fuming Prime Merlinian pace back and forth.

"Dave, we don't have any other options. If we're going to find out what Versala is planning, we need her apprentice. I know it's not what you were hoping and I doubt that Charley wants to do this anymore than you do," Balthazar explained to his apprentice. Dave slumped into one of the various chairs around the turnaround and rubbed at his face.

"Charlemagne is a very talented sorceress. She will be fine," Kaleros said confidently as he watched her practice her blank expression while Veronica tried to make her crack and show a reaction. Charley proved to be very good at masking her reactions to whatever Veronica threw at her. Veronica said harsh things about both her and Dave; she tried to make Charley laugh; she said things that were utterly revolting and was satisfied to see just the smallest of cringes that was easily covered up.

"You are doing well, Charley. I doubt Michael will even know he's being fooled until he is here and facing all of us," Veronica said confidently. The afternoon was spent practicing spells and before the apprentices knew it, they were being sent out to lure Michael into their trap. The couple decided on going to a nice restaurant for dinner and then a walk around Central Park.

"You know, I was thinking of this being our next date. Too bad it involves capturing your Morganian ex-boyfriend," Dave said after the two of them were sat in the cozy, hole-in-the-wall, Chinese restaurant. Charley sighed heavily and stared out the window sorrowfully. "Hey, no need for the long face," Dave said gently as he reached and grabbed her chin and gently moved her face to look at him. Her electric blue eyes were dimmed in self-hatred. "Come on, babe, we'll get him. And you and I will go on plenty of dates that will just be about us and not have an ulterior motive," Dave said softly.

"I know, but it hurts knowing that he's the reason why we're going out and doing this. I just want this to be a date, and not a set up," Charley said after a soft sigh. "I definitely owe you a makeup date after we're done with him and his stupid master," Charley said with a small giggle.

"I'm holding you to that," Dave said before leaning over the table and kissing her quickly. "Now prepare yourself to be amazed," Dave started as he fiddled with his chopsticks, "by my lack of chopstick skills," he finished when he tried to move the top chopstick and failed. Charley laughed in amusement as he kept trying to master the chopsticks all throughout dinner. The couple left the restaurant with smiles as they made fun of their masters. However Dave's smile dropped slightly as he spotted the guy they were after watching intently. "Charley, psycho ex is here," Dave said quietly. Charley nodded her head in acknowledgement before pulling on Dave's hand to bring him closer.

"Then let's give him a reason to come over here and use the activation word," Charley said before capturing Dave's lips in a fiery kiss. Dave blinked for a moment before catching on and kissing her back just as passionately. Michael saw red as he watched Charley and Dave kiss passionately under an awning. He growled viciously when he saw Dave's arm tighten around her waist. Finally having seen enough, he stormed over to the couple.

"Charley! Dave! What a coincidence, running into the two of you down here," Michael said with a fake laugh. The couple broke apart and turned to face the irate blonde. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your…passionate…kissing," Michael said with a slight growl.

"Hello, Michael," Charley said casually as she leaned back against Dave with a sigh of content. "What brings you around here?" she asked with fake interest.

"Oh just wandering around," Michael said vaguely as he looked around in fake interest.

"Well the Chinese restaurant just down the street is amazing," Dave said before pulling Charley to walk away with him. Michael growled quietly before smoothing his face and turning to face the slowly walking couple.

"Hey, Charley, _luv_, I hope you forgive me for being such a jerk the last time we saw each other," Michael said with a smirk. His smirk grew into a grin as Charley stopped walking and turned to face him. "I know you want to say it. Say you forgive me," Michael said tauntingly.

"I forgive you," Charley replied mechanically. Michael watched in satisfaction as Dave's face grew confused and hurt.

"Why don't you ditch the nerd and spend the rest of the night with me. I'm sure I can be so much better than him. Come to me, Charley," Michael said with a twisted grin. Charley hesitated for only a second before complying and walking over to Michael.

"Charley?" Dave asked in hurt confusion.

"Sorry, but it looks like she no longer is interested in you," Michael said over his shoulder as he led Charley away from Dave. Once the duo was around the corner, Dave quickly pulled out his phone and called the waiting masters.

"Michael is with Charley right now…yeah I'm heading there as we speak," Dave said before hanging up and running to the turnaround. Charley wasn't the only one who was given a crash course in acting. He made it there in record time and joined the masters in waiting for the duo.

"Charley," Michael started while pulling her closer to his side, "You and Dave certainly spend a lot of time together. Why don't you show me where you and he go all the time," he commanded. Charley suppressed the shudder she wanted to give at the slimy words spilling from his mouth.

"Of course," she replied robotically. Veronica would be proud of her bland tone and blank face. The duo walked calmly to the turnaround. "Here," she replied before standing back. Michael gave the knob on the door a try and smirked in delight at it being unlocked. With a slight cackle, he pulled Charley into the turnaround and placed her in front of him. Charley scowled in annoyance. Michael wasn't even man enough to go in front of her.

"What a dump," Michael said with a derisive sniff.

"It doesn't look nearly as bad as you're going to," Kaleros said as he and the others emerged from their hiding places. "Release Charlemagne," Kaleros said, playing into the act of her being controlled. Michael scoffed before releasing Charley's arm. Once she was released, she turned quickly and swung at the startled Morganian. Her fist made connected solidly against his cheek, sending him stumbling back in surprise and pain. Moving quickly, she joined her master and held up her ring hand in preparation for casting.

"Not what you were expecting, huh?" Charley asked with a glare. Michael stared in shock before his eyes narrowed in a glare. "Next time you decide to try and enchant someone, make sure they're not magical," she said with a slight smirk.

"You little wench!" Michael shouted. He cast a cutting hex towards Charley, but she reacted quickly and erected a shield. Michael growled in annoyance. "You do not stand a chance against me!" he shouted while throwing various hexes and spells at Charley's shield.

"You wanna make this personal? Fine, I'll make it personal," Charley said through gritted teeth. Going from defense to offense, Charley threw several plasma bolts as a distraction before conjuring a fire spell in her palm. Taking a deep breath, she blew at the flame, shooting it towards her opponent. The others stood their ground and kept a close eye on the duel. Dave knew that Charley needed to do this on her own, and the masters understood that as well. But all of them kept their guards up just in case Michael pulled a nasty stunt.

Michael countered Charley's flames with a quick water spell, causing the turnaround to fill with steam. Charley looked around before slowing her breathing and focusing her senses. She flicked her wrist, causing a slight glow to emanate from her ring. Trusting her magic and her senses, she waited for Michael to make the first move.

Michael growled in annoyance at the haze around him before throwing spells at random. His spells were meant to hurt, but luckily, they never hit their targets. The Merlinians paid close attention to the sound of his muttered cursing and random spell throwing, ducking when needed or erecting shields. Charley smiled slightly before focusing her magic and throwing a paralyzing spell towards Michael. From the loud cursing, she knew she hit her mark. With a flick of her wrist and a muttered spell, the steam dispersed to show a now paralyzed Michael cursing up a storm.

"Where is Versala?" Balthazar asked the captured Morganian.

"Like I'd tell you that, Merlinian," Michael sneered. Charley rolled her eyes in annoyance before walking over to Dave.

"You ok?" Charley asked. Dave nodded with a smile. "That was slightly anticlimactic if you ask me," Charley continued as she watched the masters interrogate her ex-boyfriend. Dave shrugged in agreement before turning Charley's attention away from the interrogation and to their heated kiss. Michael glared at the kissing couple before muttering a spell under his breath. The masters barely heard the words before Charley went rigid and collapsed against Dave's startled form.

"What did you do?!" Kaleros demanded the now smirking Morganian.

"I've done nothing…yet," Michael said with a self-satisfied smirk. "Charley will not awaken until the counter spell is found. Oh and don't bother asking me what it is. I haven't the foggiest idea as to what the spell is. Mistress Versala told me to use that spell as a last resort," Michael continued with a tone that sounded like he was talking about the weather. Veronica rushed over to where Dave was laying Charley down and looked her over with a critical eye. Balthazar and Kaleros looked at one another and seemed to come to the same conclusion. Pulling one of their fists back, both Kaleros and Balthazar punched the young Morganian in the face, knocking him out cold.

"We need to find that counter spell, and fast," Veronica said from her place at Charley's side. Everyone watched the prone form of Charley with matching expressions of concern and fear.

**Yeah that sorta ran away with me…but I like it lol. Let me know what'cha think by leaving me some reviews! Thanks!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Again, I have no excuse for the lack of updating. Enjoy!**

_**Bold Italicized = Charley's Dreams**_

Chapter 19: Monsters You Create

With Michael knocked out cold, the masters and Prime Merlinian were left to scour the Encantus in hopes of finding what spell Charley was under. Every spell was scrutinized by 4 sets of eyes before sighs were released all around.

"Unfortunately we won't know what spell she's under until there are some signs," Veronica stated somberly as she gazed at the unconscious apprentice. "And Michael confessed to not knowing what the spell does," Veronica said with a scowl.

"Versala certainly has her apprentice wrapped around her finger if she can convince him to use a spell he doesn't know," Kaleros growled in anger. "And now my apprentice is trapped under that cursed spell and we can't help her," he snarled as he threw a random object across the turnaround. Balthazar moved to sooth the irate master while Veronica continued to look through the Encantus. Dave sighed and moved to sit next to Charley. He sat heavily and gazed at her peaceful face somberly. With another sigh, he reached and held her hand closest to him gently.

"Come on, babe, you can fight this, I know you can," Dave whispered gently. Charley showed no outward sign of hearing Dave. "Please wake up. We can't figure out what spell you're under," Dave said worriedly. Dave watched worriedly as Charley's once peaceful face started to shift into discomfort. "Charley?!" Dave shouted fearfully as Charley started struggling. Dave's shout drew the attention of the masters and they all rushed over just as Charley let out a terrified whimper. "What's happening?!" Dave asked in a slight panic. Veronica immediately kneeled next to the cot and tried to deduce what was going on with the still whimpering apprentice.

"The symptoms are still to general. Many spells cause the victim to suffer mentally," Veronica said sadly. "We still need to wait and see what other symptoms will arise," she continued with a dark tone. "I despise waiting when someone I care about is clearly suffering," she snarled viciously. Quickly rising to her feet, she stormed off to the unconscious Morganian. Balthazar quickly rushed to stop his beloved from possibly killing the young man while Kaleros and Dave remained at Charley's side.

"Charlemagne, you can defeat this spell, I know you can," Kaleros said while gently brushing some of Charley's bangs off her forehead. With a heavy sigh, he left to look through the Encantus once again. Dave merely watched as Charley continued to whimper and twitch.

"What is going in that head of yours, baby?" Dave asked worriedly.

_** Charley found herself in black nothingness. Trying to think rationally, she took in her surroundings and sighed at the blackness. She started as a deep, gravely growl resounded in the darkness. Trying to take a defensive stance against an unknown assailant was a difficult thing to attempt. She tried to slow her breathing and remain calm, but all of that went out the window when she realized that wherever she was, she arrived there without her ring. The panic was difficult to control as heavy footfalls shook the unseen ground she stood on. Her eyes widened in instant fear as one of the creature's massive feet appeared out of the darkness. The scaled, bird-like, foot ended in jagged sharp claws. Charley stepped back fearfully as the creature's other foot joined its twin. The feet were attached to heavily scaled and scarred legs that were built for running. The body itself was similar to that of any dragon she could have drawn, but the head was of her childhood fear. The mutilated bird head featured scale like feathers that were ragged and flared out at the cheeks like spines. The beak was serrated around the edges and the eyes were hollow, allowing a vicious red glow to pulsate ominously. The long neck allowed for the creature to easily move its grotesque head closer to the now whimpering Charley. The tail feathers were just as ragged and scale like with two longer spiked feathers stretching a good three feet longer than the rest. The wings were bat like with four digits at the top of the wing that had four curved claws on each digit.**_

_** This was a creature that Charley feared for most of her younger years. Birds, especially those associated with death like the vulture, terrified her beyond compare. As a child, she drew the birds like she saw them in her mind's eye. Grotesque, mutated and downright terrifying, and now she was face to face with an exact replica of her most detailed sketch. Magicless, and essentially blind in the unending darkness, Charley had one option and only one option…run.**_

Dave watched in increasing worry as the whimpers escalated to terrified screaming and shouts of pain. Charley's body twitched in obvious discomfort and occasionally she would go rigid and a silent scream would be torn from her throat. The panic came shortly after as Charley all of a sudden viciously arched her back in obvious pain and fell back down on her side with her back facing Dave.

"Veronica, Balthazar, Kaleros!" Dave shouted in panic as he saw blood start to stain the back of Charley's shirt. The masters rushed and gasped as they witnessed the blood stain grow. Veronica immediately rushed into action.

"Kaleros, I need you to keep Charlemagne on her side while I check to see what happened," Veronica ordered as she carefully started pulling Charley's jacket off her back before she moved the tank top up. Balthazar moved to keep the clothing up and off the bleeding skin. "This gash is jagged, almost as though her skin was torn. But there's nothing on or under the cot that could do such damage without our knowing," Veronica said as she carefully cleaned off the blood using the soaked cloth Dave fetched for her. Charley continued to scream in fear and pain and Kaleros was having slight difficulty keeping his apprentice from jerking harshly.

"It gets worse," Kaleros said darkly as he watched a cut suddenly appear on Charley's collarbone. Veronica looked over Charley's shoulder and gasped in shock as she saw the gash. "Balthazar, wasn't there a mental spell that caused physical pain to occur?" Kaleros asked as he saw red scratches form on Charley's face and hands. Balthazar and Dave switched places as Balthazar rushed to the Encantus. The others watched in panicked worry as Veronica continued to try and heal the deep gashes that were forming.

_** Charley was running out of breath and her muscles were straining in exertion as she continued to try and outrun the beast. The deep gash on her back caused by an unexpected swipe of the beasts winged arm felt like it was on fire. The gash on her collarbone was from tripping and landing on an unseen object. The smaller cuts were from tripping and catching herself. Her body finally decided that it was done running and ceased all forward motion, causing Charley to pitch forward. The creature let out a deafening screechy roar as it closed in on the prone and terrified apprentice. **_

Kaleros' glare was the first thing that Michael awoke to. Trying to act tough, he sneered in reply and sat up as straight as he could in his bound state.

"You claim to care for Charlemagne, do you not?" Kaleros growled out. Michael nodded smoothly in reply. "I don't think you do. Because if you cared for her, then she wouldn't be in the amount of pain she is currently!" he shouted just before Charley let out a shriek that was practically ear splitting. Michael's eyes widened as he turned his head to stare at the convulsing and bleeding form of Charley. "That's what that spell is doing to her! Now tell me what spell you used!" Kaleros shouted viciously.

"I don't know the spell! I already told you that!" Michael shouted back. "Versala mentioned it once and told me to use it if it looks like I will fail," Michael explained in a pained way. "I didn't know it would do that to her," he said softly.

"Think, boy, think! It has to be in your Encantus, try and remember the spell!" Kaleros urged as he heard a sob escape Charley's raw throat. Michael closed in his eyes in concentration as he tried to remember the spell and how to counter it. Kaleros shifted his attention back and forth between the Morganian apprentice and Veronica trying to heal the rapidly appearing gashes and punctures.

"Living Nightmare, that's the spell! The spell causes the victim to be trapped in their minds with their worst nightmares, and any physical harm that happens in the nightmare happens in the waking world!" Michael shouted as his memory was finally jogged.

"How do we counter it!?" Kaleros asked in pure rage.

"Cheesy as it sounds, a kiss from a true love will allow the victim to gain control of their nightmare and end it. But the victim has to be strong enough both physically and mentally to overpower the nightmare," Michael explained with a pained expression. The turnaround fell into deadly silence that was punctuated by Charley's cries and sobs of pain. Everyone was thinking the same thing. Would she be strong enough after the physical and mental toll the spell took on her?

"Well I'm not giving up on her," Dave said with conviction as he carefully moved himself to hover over Charley's writhing body. "You're the second strongest woman I know, next to Veronica. You're going to pull through this," Dave whispered into Charley's ear before gently cupping her cheek. With a deep breath, Dave closed the last few inches between their lips and kissed her, pouring as much love and strength into the kiss as he could. Everyone waited with bated breath to as Charley suddenly went deathly still.

_** The creature pinned her under one of its massive feet. The sheer weight caused Charley to gasp as she tried to fill her lungs with air. Her body was fighting against her as she willed it to struggle under the oppressive weight. All of a sudden, a small burst of warmth flooded her veins and she felt her body gain energy and herself gain courage. With its screeching roar, it swung its head down towards her. Moving and arm up to try and protect herself, she felt the serrated edge of the mangled beak tear through the denim of her jacket and cut through the skin of her arm. The creature's head was deflected off to the side by the arm, causing the beak to smash into the black ground beneath them, cracking the beak in several places. The shriek of pain it let out was deafening and the heavy foot was lifted off of Charley as the creature stepped back in shocked pain. Using the renewed energy and courage, Charley picked herself up and glared at the wailing creature.**_

_** "I was defeated by you once; I will not let you defeat me again!" Charley shouted in rage as she stomped towards the creature, ignoring her bleeding, burning wounds. The creature stopped its shrieking and watched with its glowing red eyes as the young apprentice approached. "I am not afraid of you anymore!" She shouted defiantly. Feeling a surge of magic flow through her, she watched in awe as her ring materialized on her ringer. "And now, I shall be free from you, permanently," She said darkly as she gathered her magic and threw a series of fireballs at the creature. The scale-like feathers quickly caught fire and the creature shrieked in terror as it flailed in fiery pain. Charley watched as her childhood fear slowly burned away from her nightmare, leaving only the inky blackness behind. "I am not afraid of you," she repeated softly, over and over like a mantra.**_

"I'm not afraid of you," Charley mumbled roughly as she slowly came back to consciousness.

**And there you have it ladies and gents. The creature is loosely based off of the jabberwocky from ****Alice in Wonderland ****(Congrats if you caught that). I tried to think of an animal that's not a common fear for children and birds were of the first recommended to me. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait. And don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read! Thanks!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Last day of summer so I decided to give ya'll an update! Enjoy!**

Chapter 20: Waking up to Love

Charley's journey into consciousness was filled with stinging pain. Hissing, she opened her eyes and saw the blurry outlines of everyone watching her. The relief was evident on their faces as Charlie became more aware of her surroundings.

"Owwww," Charlie groaned as she tried to move. Her muscles were sore and the cuts and gashes were stinging in residual pain. "What happened?" she asked before wincing at the pain in her throat.

"You were hexed and placed under the Living Nightmare. Whatever happened to you in your nightmare happened here in the waking world," Kaleros explained gently as he brushed Charley's bangs from her forehead. "You must have dreamt of something horrible to gain all of those gashes. Veronica has been working to heal the worst of your injuries," Kaleros continued with worried eyes.

"That explains the muscle soreness. I was running from this hideous bird monster that I remember drawing years ago. As you can see, running was only effective to a certain degree. I didn't have my ring and it was pitch black so I didn't know where I was going or if something was going to come at me," Charley recalled with a quivering voice. Dave ran a soothing hand up and down her arm. "God I was terrified," she said with a crack in her voice. Balthazar, hearing the cracking in her voice, ran to get her a glass of water. "And then the creature trapped me under one of its massive feet and I was just so tired, but then all of a sudden I felt this surge of energy and I managed to redirect the creatures beak away from my face using my arm and it smashed into the ground and it backed away in pain and I was free. And after that my ring materialized onto my finger and I threw fireballs at it, watching it burn," Charley said with a wistful smile. "I finally faced my fear and won," Charley said. "But I hurt way too much to celebrate," she said with a dry chuckle.

"We were all terrified when you started whimpering and shaking and then all of a sudden this massive gash appeared on your back," Dave said with a shaky voice. "God I thought I was going to lose you," Dave said with watery eyes before leaning down and kissing her deeply.

"Silly boy, I'm not going down without a fight," Charley said after they broke their kiss. "So what happens now?" Charley asked after watching Veronica heal the gash on her arm.

"Now, you are on bed rest until you're finished healing. Veronica's magic closes the wounds but it requires time to heal the deeper damage," Kaleros said, ignoring the aggravated groan from his apprentice. "And while you are healing, we shall devise a plan to take down Versala," he continued with a smirk.

"Don't you dare go after her without me!" Charley shouted as she watched her master walk off. "I'm coming with, and don't you dare argue the point," she directed towards Dave. Dave just nodded in agreement before kissing her forehead. "How long do I have to stay on bed rest?" she asked Veronica before the woman could walk away.

"Your magic is assisting in the healing so I suspect only a couple of days," Veronica said with a gentle smile. "Just relax young one, you'll be up and spell casting in no time," she said with a teasing wink. Charley stuck her tongue out childishly before relaxing back onto the cot.

"What happened to Michael?" Charley asked as she couldn't see him in the turnaround.

"Balthazar and Kaleros moved him to one of the rooms. He was becoming hysterical after he saw what the curse was doing to you. He seemed pretty concerned," Dave said with a frown. He looked up when he felt Charley's hand rest on his cheek.

"He may have seemed genuine in his concern for me, but he lost his chance a while ago. I'm with you, Dave, and there's no one else in the world I'd rather be with. I felt you, during my nightmare. I felt your magic," Charley said with a serene smile. "I couldn't have gotten out without you, Dave," she said before drawing Dave's lips to hers. "I love you, Dave Stutler," Charley whispered. Dave's eyes widened comically in shock before they softened with love.

"I love you too, Charlemagne," Dave whispered back. "Now, is there anything I can get you?" he asked as he leaned back and smiled at her.

"I'd ask you to go to my dorm and get me some clean clothes but I won't subject you to my psycho best friend who would undoubtedly harass you," Charley said with a giggle. "I would like for you to join me on this tiny cot and just hold me though," she said sheepishly. Dave smiled and with some careful rearranging, the two of them fit snuggly on the cot facing each other. Charley sighed in content as she snuggled closer to Dave.

The masters watched from the overhang of the turnaround as the two apprentices fell asleep in each other's arms. Balthazar and Veronica smiled in amusement while Kaleros watched with a serene smile. Charley was like a daughter to the much older master and he was happy she and Dave were together. Michael, who had the perfect view of the couple, glared in utter fury at the couple.

"So ready to tell us where your master is?" Kaleros asked as he turned away from the windows. Michael just kept his mouth shut stubbornly. Veronica sighed in aggravation before pinching the bridge of her nose. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and leveled a fierce glare at Michael.

"Listen here you foolish child. You have hurt those that I care about, and I shall never forgive you for that. But I can promise you that if you do not start talking and tell us where that bitch is, I shall make your life a living hell. Now tell us, where is Versala!?" Veronica said in a deadly voice. Michael looked at the woman whose magic was swirling around her in a deadly aura. Balthazar and Kaleros watched the display with barely suppressed fear. Veronica was definitely a force to be reckon with.

"She's at this abandoned warehouse. I can give you the directions but please let me go," Michael whimpered out as the dark aura around Veronica grew in intensity. At hearing his plea, Veronica backed away with a sweet smile on her face.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" She asked sweetly before turning to face the other masters. "Let's start devising a plan of attack and remove this Morganian from our lives," she continued as she moved to go get the Encantus from down below. Kaleros looked towards Balthazar with a raised eyebrow that screamed 'what the hell was that?'. Balthazar just shrugged and went to join Veronica down below.

"I think I'll just leave you here to think," Kaleros said to Michael before he too left. Michael glared at the closed door before he averted his eyes to where Charley and Dave were. His glare intensified before he simply looked resigned. He screwed up royally and he knew it. Now all he could do was hope that things can be fixed, even though he knows they never will be.

**Charley is awake and Michael cracked and told the masters where to find Versala. Next chapter will be the start of the epic fight between Morganian Versala and the Merlinians! And don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read!**


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